La Estrella
by Mist and Mischief
Summary: Yes, another JackOC. Takes place during the movie. Captain Rachel Harris meets Capn Jack while trying to commandeer the Interceptor. The rest is history! RR please! NOT A MARYSUE! at least, I don't think it is... !FINISHED YE SCOUNDRELS!
1. Commandeering

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. Disney does. I own the DVD though! *does happy dance* I own Rachel and that's it. I wish I owned Captain Jack Sparrow! *sighs heavily* Alas, I don't though...  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Thanks for the lift mate," I said and handed over a few shillings.  
  
" 'Twas no problem Miss Harris."  
  
"It's *Captain*, Captain Harris," I reminded irritably.  
  
"Whatever, Miss," he replied, rolling his eyes. I shot him a glare before turning on my heel and stalking off down the docks.  
  
'Quite a picturesque town really,' I thought. 'I think he said 'twas named Port King...or maybe it was Port Royal?' I shrugged, and continued my way down the docks.  
  
'First order of business is to find me a ship." After looking around I surmised that was going to prove quite a difficult task seeing as how all the ships were either Navy ships or colossal trading ships. 'Well, best try for the most practical one to navigate by me onesies.'  
  
The day was quite nice really. Sunny skies with only a few cloud wisps here and there. The docks were bustling with activity and the town as well. It had the air of a port with immense wealth, which was an advantage. Even if I couldn't commandeer a ship, I could at least borrow some money off the towns folk to barter passage to Tortuga.  
  
The suspicious looks I was receiving was really starting to bug me, so I turned my icy stare at said lookers and they promptly found something more interesting to look at. Truth be told, I was used to that kind of treatment. It's not everyday you see a women dressed in men's trousers and shirt, her hair in cornrows held back by a scarf, and sporting a pistol in her belt. It just wasn't natural by most standards.  
  
I reached the end of the docks and stuck to the shadows as I continued my exploring. Just as I thought I had seen all of the ships, I came to one that caught my fancy. It wasn't very large, especially compared to the Man O'War docked further down, but it looked like it could be quite fast, which it needed to be. There was only one problem. It was guarded. Fortunately for me, the two guards, one quite fat and the other quite thin, looked very incompetent and weren't paying attention.  
  
I slipped past them and onto the ship easily, and was in the process of exploring the decks when I heard the guards yelling something. Thinking they were yelling at me, I froze immediately. Instead, there was a man down there talking to them and he seemed to have been trying to board the ship as well. 'He must've been really out of place for those two louts to have noticed him,' I thought.  
  
Though he really was conspicuous. He was dressed in the traditional pirate garb, and that alone was out of place on this island. Aside from that his long dark hair had many trinkets woven into it, and he was walking in a very unnatural way. Swaggering was more what he was doing.  
  
He now had the two inept redcoats in deep conversation and was making his way over. I promptly ducked behind a crate, not wanting to be seen. From my viewpoint, he was turning the helm like he was steering it, and looking only mildly interested in what he was doing.  
  
His actions were annoying me, and I decided I would kick him off and continue with my commandeering. I stood up slowly but he didn't seem to notice. Rolling my eyes, I cleared my throat noisily. He whirled around in surprise and looked quite amused at what he saw.  
  
" 'ello love," he drawled, and grinned at me. I gave him a vexed look before speaking.  
  
"Get off me ship," I snapped.  
  
"Your ship?" I nodded. "Well, love, I don't see your name on it."  
  
"That's because I haven't gotten around to take it yet." "Now, if you'd be so kind," I growled, waving my hand toward the gang plank.  
  
He raised an eyebrow and was about to retort, when the two guards noticed us. 'Great,' I thought. 'He's ruined everything.'  
  
"Hey! You two! Get away from there!" they called. "You don't have permission to be aboard there, mate," one of them said.  
  
The man who'd ruined my big escape answered them. "I'm sorry, it's just - it's such a pretty boat. Ship." I smirked at this, but the guards looked unimpressed.  
  
"What's your name?" one asked.  
  
"Smith. Or Smithy, if you like," "Smith" replied. Somehow I didn't think this was his real name, especially if he's a pirate. Pirates don't give their real names to anyone but other pirates.  
  
One of the guards asked "Smith" what he was doing there to which he replied "Well, then, I confess, it is my intention to commandeer one of these ships, pick up a crew in Tortuga, raid, pillage, plunder and otherwise pilfer my weasely black guts out."  
  
"I said no lies!"  
  
I had watched this whole exchange in silence, and had used the two guards' preoccupation with "Smith" to my advantage, and slipped unnoticed off the ship.  
  
"Well, that was interesting," I muttered to myself, amused despite the fact I no longer had a ship to commandeer.  
  
I wandered into town, and, at the rumbling of my stomach, decided I was hungry. Looking around I noticed a fruit stand. Looking unobtrusive, I walked by casually and grabbed a couple of oranges, and continued on my way down the lane. I peeled the oranges as walked, and surveyed the scenery around me. There were lots of little shops and businesses, but one in particular caught my eye. It was obviously the local smithy. 'Don't they make swords,' I wondered. I had been needing one for a while. A pistol can only get one so far. Though I didn't have any money I figured I could either steal one or sweet talk my way to one. Either worked almost every time.  
  
Feeling pleased with my discovery, I pushed open the door. The interior was quite dim and, as far as I could tell, empty. I sighed with relief, and made my way over to a rack containing about twenty of them. It was then I noticed the blacksmith passed out in his chair, clutching an empty rum bottle. He seemed to be incapacitated at the moment, so I figured it was safe to continue with my sword commandeering.  
  
There were so many different types. There were cutlasses, long swords, rapiers, and sabers, all beautifully crafted. I felt like a kid in a candy shop, and I'm sure I looked like one too. There were so many to choose from. Long swords weren't too practical as a pirate weapon, so I settled for a cutlass. It was elegantly plain, with a simple black leather hilt with silver inlayed in it.  
  
I pulled it out and tested it. It was perfectly balanced. This was definitely a much finer cutlass then my previous one. Of course, at the time, I thought it was quite a good one. Now I know better.  
  
I was about to place the cutlass in my belt and get the hell out of there when the door opened. And there was no place for me to hide. I froze in mid sword-sheathing and looked up into the eyes of "Smith". I don't know who was more surprised, me or him, but I recovered sooner.  
  
"Would ye stop following me?" I spat. I noticed he was in handcuffs and was quick to point it out. "Seems they didn't fancy you taking their ship," I commented.  
  
"Actually love, they didn't fancy me saving a certain govenor's daughter," he replied, grinning cheekily. I was a bit surprised at this. "Now, would you be so kind as to help me get this bloody things off?" he asked impatiently.  
  
I smirked at him. "Well, ya see, I would, but I see no profit in it for me." He gave me an exasperated look and walked over to the anvil. He took his hat off and tried using a hammer (A/N: I don't know if that's the right word for what he used in the movie.) to break the chains. It clearly wasn't working. "It would work better if you used that," I pointed out, motioning at the gear things (A/N: Again, I don't know the names for it. I apologize.). He pressed his palms together and bowed slightly in thanks, and pretty soon he had the cuffs' links broken.  
  
And then the door creaked open for a second time, and "Smith" and I jumped behind a crate. A young man of about twenty or so walked in and surveyed the interior of the shop. He looked over at the sleeping drunk. "Right where I left you," he said, smiling slightly. He walked over to the anvil, where "Smith" had carelessly left the hammer out. He frowned. "Not where I left you." He then spied "Smith's" hat, and made to pick it up. "Smith" leaped up and slapped the man's hand with his sword, and then pointed it at him. '*Idiot*!" I thought.  
  
"You seem somewhat familiar. Have I threatened you before?"  
  
"I make a point of avoiding familiarity with pirates."  
  
As seemingly interesting as this was, I really wanted to be on my merry way. I emerged from behind the crate. "Then it would be a shame to put a black mark on your record. So, if you'll excuse me." I said, and made for the door. The man looked a bit shocked at my appearance, but quickly recovered and reached for his own sword. I turned around to look at him.  
  
"Do you think this wise, boy - crossing blades with a pirate?" "Smith" asked, apparently taking the challenge for the fight.  
  
"You threatened Miss Swann," the lad snapped.  
  
"Only a little." And they parried. I had to admit, the boy was quite good, and so was "Smith".  
  
I shouldn't have stayed to watch the whole fight. I went against my better judgment. It was an interesting fight, to be sure. It ended when "Smith" blinded the man with sand and then pointed his pistol at him.  
  
"You cheated!"  
  
"Pirate," "Smith" replied pointedly.  
  
A banging was heard at the door. I glanced at it nervously. "Damn it!" I cursed. The boy shot me a look of surprise that I'd spoken and then turned his gaze back to the pirate threatening him.  
  
"Move away," "Smith" ordered.  
  
"No."  
  
I moved up to stand next to Jack, brandishing my pistol menacingly.  
  
"Please move," I snarled.  
  
"No! I cannot just step aside and let you escape."  
  
"This shot was not meant for you," "Smith" ground out, when all of a sudden: *CRACK!* "Smith" fell onto the floor unconscious. I spun around to see the hung over blacksmith holding a broken alcohol bottle. 'Oh shit,' was all I could think before the door flew open and a swarm of red coats flew in.  
  
A very familiar looking one was leading them. "Excellent work, Mr. Brown . You've assisted in the capture of a dangerous fugitive," he said, looking at the disheveled blacksmith.  
  
"Just doing my civic duty sir," he replied. I couldn't help but grin at the look on the young man's face.  
  
'Norrington!' I realized suddenly. 'That's who he is!'  
  
"Well, I trust you will always remember this as the day that Captain Jack Sparrow almost escaped," said Norrington.  
  
'Captain Jack Sparrow!!' I thought in astonishment. 'That's certainly not how I would've imagined 'im!"  
  
Norrington then seemed to notice me standing there for the first time. He looked at me distastefully. "Obviously another pirate," he said. I tried to look innocent.  
  
"Maybe," I simpered.  
  
"Arrest her!" he ordered, and his little soldiers hastened to hand cuff me.  
  
"Take it easy!" I whined. The redcoats just shot me an annoyed look.  
  
Norrington grabbed my arm, and pushed up the sleeves, revealing my tattoo. "I should have known," he hissed after studying the star shaped tattoo. "Rachel Harris."  
  
I glared at him. "*Captain*" I reminded. "*Captain* Rachel Harris."  
  
He looked a bit peeved at this. "You don't have a ship any more, ergo you are not a captain," he snorted.  
  
"That's where you're wrong mate," I argued, but it fell on deaf ears.  
  
"Take them away," he commanded.  
  
They proceeded to drag Sparrow and I away to the jail. 'This is just *peachy*' I thought bitterly. 'All I wanted was a bloody ship. But *nooooo*. I have to meet an infamous pirate captain, watch him fight a some blacksmith's apprentice, be insulted by that bloody Norrington character, and then get hauled away to a damned prison! Most likely to be hanged tomorrow morning!' I was pissed, and I let everyone know it too. Let's just say I didn't go quietly, and the soldiers ended up with quite a few more bruised shins and egos then before.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: Hey everyone! I know this might be a bit cliché...but it'll get better! It's my second attempt at a POTC story. My first one shriveled up and died. *looks guilty* Well, y'all know what to do! Review!! Savvy???  
  
If you like Harry Potter, check out my HP fanfic Another Marauder: Book 1. It's great! haha. Bye!  
  
Until next time, ~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	2. No Luck At All

Disclaimer: I *still* don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. But I'm working on it! ^_^  
  
~*~*~  
  
They took us to a two cell jail, and one of the cells was occupied by a rather dirty looking group of fugitives; most likely thieves and drunks. The guards threw me and Sparrow, who was still unconscious, into the empty cell.  
  
" 'ey! Watch it!" I snapped. They just ignored me and left the way they came. I watched them go, and then turned to the miscreants in the other cell.  
  
" 'ello poppet," one of them drawled, sending me a leering look. Actually, they were all leering at me, and it was starting to piss me off.  
  
"What's a lass like yerself doing here, eh?" another asked.  
  
I lifted my chin confidently. "None of yer bloody business. And if ye know what's good for ya, you'd shut up," I growled, sending them the fiercest look I could muster.  
  
"And what're ye gonna do about it?" one sneered. Glaring, I stalked over to the bar where he was leaning, and grabbed his throat.  
  
"I'll kill ye, that's what," I snarled. Pleased with his astonished look, I let go. The others seemed to find their fingernails extremely interesting. I smirked. "I knew ya'd see it my way."  
  
I sat down as far away from them as I could. 'Stupid blighters,' I thought boredly, picking at my fingers. 'They'll never mess with the likes of me again.'  
  
Sure enough, their attentions were now turned to coaxing the guard dog over with a rather rotten looking bone. The dog wasn't paying them any attention however.  
  
"You can keep doing that forever, the dog is never going to move."  
  
I started at the voice, and turned to see Sparrow was awake. He smirked at me. " 'ello love," he said.  
  
"Hey," I replied in acknowledgment, and went back to inspecting my hands. I could feel him watching me and it was making me uncomfortable. I looked at him. "And what, pray tell, is so interesting?" I asked impatiently.  
  
"Ah, nothing love." He was silent for a moment. "Since we're obviously going to be stuck in here together for a long time, it would be quite an advantage to be knowing your name."  
  
I gauged him for a minute. "Johnson. Katherine Johnson," I replied.  
  
He rolled his eyes. "No love. Your *real* name."  
  
I glowered at him. "Fine," I spat. "Captain Rachel Harris."  
  
He looked thoughtful for a moment. "Sounds familiar," was all he said. I sighed and went back to my finger nails. 'If only I had my dagger' I thought. They had taken it from me, along with my new cutlass and my pistol.  
  
"They look sufficiently clean to me," said Sparrow, indicating my fingernails. I shot him an annoyed look. Then inspiration hit. 'Let's see how the infamous Jack Sparrow reacts to this,' I thought wickedly.  
  
"Aye. It seems you're right," I admitted, smiling mischievously.  
  
"I don't think I like that look, love," he said, looking amused.  
  
I smirked at him and scooted over to where he was sitting. "Perhaps you could do me a favor," I whispered seductively in his ear, and sidled closer to him.  
  
"And what exactly would that be?" he asked huskily, leaning towards me.  
  
"Could ye lend me yer hat?" I laughed, and plucked it from his head. Suppressing giggles, I went back over to my corner, and propped myself against the wall.  
  
Sparrow was speechless. "Give me back me hat!" he cried when he finally found his voice, and leaped to his feet.  
  
I smiled sweetly at him. "But you're such a gentleman!" I protested. "I know you couldn't deprive a lady of her beauty sleep!" I placed the hat over my eyes to block out the light.  
  
"You're hardly a lady," he snorted. I tipped the hat up to look him in the eyes. (A/N: His incredibly SEXY eyes! ^_^)  
  
"You'll regret that one day," I threatened good naturedly. "Besides, you weren't using it anyway."  
  
"But it's my hat!" he said.  
  
"Buck up and be a man!" I teased, and pulled that hat back over my eyes. "And if ye even think about takin' it, I'll have your guts for garters."  
  
He grumbled at this, but I heard him sink to the floor in defeat. 'I've got him wrapped,' I thought victoriously before sleep took over.  
  
~*~*~  
  
BOOM! I jolted awake, and looked around warily. Sparrow and the other prisoners were at the tiny window, looking out at the direction of the bay. I jumped up to join him.  
  
"It's the Pearl," he breathed. 'The Pearl?' I thought and shoved him out of the way to get a look.  
  
"Glad to see you're awake love, now could I have my hat back?" I ignored him.  
  
There was a ship out there. I had heard of the Pearl before, but had never seen it with my own eyes. The ship out in the bay certainly looked like the ghost ship the Black Pearl was reputed to be. The black sails contained holes, which gave it a haunted look. "The Black Pearl?" I asked skeptically.  
  
"I've heard stories," one of the other criminals said. "She's been preying on ships and settlements for near ten years. Never leaves any survivors."  
  
"No survivors?" Sparrow asked. "Then where do the stories come from, I wonder?"  
  
I smirked at this, and moved away from the window so that Sparrow could look through it again. I placed the hat on his head and settled back down in my corner and started fiddling with one of my cornrows.  
  
"Wonder why their here," I remarked to no one in particular. Sparrow came and sat beside me.  
  
"I haven't the faintest, love," he replied.  
  
"You say 'love' far to much ya know," I complained, and looked up at him. "I *do* have a name." It was Sparrow's turn to ignore me.  
  
"Ye call yourself a captain, *love*. I'm curious to know what you're captain *of*," he said, focusing those intense dark eyes of his on my hazel ones.  
  
With his words, all the pain came flooding back. I looked away. "Maybe another time," I said with as little emotion as possible. I didn't want to talk about it then. I didn't want to talk about it *ever* again if I could help it. Sparrow didn't take the hint.  
  
"Now seems as good a time as ever," he goaded. 'Please Lord, prevent me from doing something I'll regret later,' I thought.  
  
"What part of 'no' don't you understand?" I growled icily. "Are ye daft?"  
  
"Ah, I've seemed to have hit a sensitive subject," he said. 'He's being unnecessarily cruel,' I thought angrily.  
  
Taking a deep breath, I was about to let him have it when...  
  
BOOM!  
  
I leaped away from the wall just in time to keep from getting my head blown off. It seemed one of the Black Pearl's cannon balls had hit the prison, leaving a gaping hole in it's wake. Unfortunately, the hole in our cell wasn't big enough to escape through.  
  
"My sympathies, friends, you've no manner of luck at all," one of the prisoners said, before hopping out of the considerably larger hole on their side.  
  
"Damn it to hell!" I cursed angrily as I watched all of the prisoners file out, save for Sparrow and me. Sparrow looked just as unhappy.  
  
"Well, love, it's just you and me now," he remarked lightly, trying to lighten the mood. Unfortunately, I was not thinking rashly at the moment.  
  
CRACK!  
  
"Damn it woman!" Sparrow yelled, rubbing his nose. "I don't think I deserved that."  
  
I fixed him a steely glare. "I could've hit ye harder if I'd wanted," I sassed and then huffed off to the other side of the cell, rubbing my knuckles. 'Been a while since I did that,' I thought dryly.  
  
"It's going to be a *long* night," I heard him mutter as he picked up the bone and attempted to coax the dog guarding the keys over.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: Yes, this was a rather pointless chapter. But if I had added the next scene it would've been entirely too long. And plus I have to study for exams this afternoon and didn't have time to write much more. Many thanks to my reviewers! Y'all are awesome! Look for the next update tomorrow or this weekend sometime! That's all for now! Ta!  
  
And remember to review!! Pretty please!  
  
Until next time,  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	3. A Truce

Disclaimer: For the third freakin' time! I don't own POTC! But I'm working on a plot to catch Jack!! *grins evilly*  
  
~*~*~  
  
"Come on, doggy. It's just you and me now. It's you and ol' Jack . Come on. Come on, good boy. That a good boy, come on! Bit closer, bit closer."  
  
I watched in amazement as the dog approached Sparrow cautiously, the keys clamped firmly in his mouth. 'Maybe it's stupider then I thought,' I thought.  
  
"That's it, that's it, doggy. Come on you filthy, slimy, mangy cur." There was a banging heard, and the dog spooked and ran off.  
  
"No, no, no, no, no, I didn't mean it. I didn't..." Sparrow trailed off.  
  
"Way to go!" I exclaimed sarcastically. "You've single- handedly ruined or only chance of escape!"  
  
"Note the 'single-handedly' part," Sparrow retorted. "At least I tried getting us out." I was about to reply when a prison guard was thrown down the stairs, making a loud clash. 'Uh oh,' I thought and looked anxiously towards the stairway.  
  
Sure enough, two evil looking pirates sauntered down the stairs. 'Here to save Sparrow,' I guessed.  
  
"This ain't the armory!" one of them said thickly after surveying the room. The other was leering quite unpleasantly at us. Actually, he was leering at Sparrow  
  
"Well, well, well, look what we have here Twigg - Captain Jack Sparrow, and he's got himself a lass!" he sneered, sending me a nasty look. I glared back at him.  
  
The one called Twigg smirked. "Last time I saw you, you were all alone on a godforsaken island, shrinking into the distance. His fortunes aren't improved much." He then looked at me. "Or maybe, only slightly," he added suggestively. My stomach flipped unpleasantly at his last comment. I was about to speak when Sparrow cut me off.  
  
"Worry about your own fortunes, gentlemen. The deepest circle of Hell is reserved for betrayers and *mutineers*." I sent a confused look Sparrow's way, but he was focused on other things.  
  
Twigg's companion didn't look too pleased at Sparrow's comment. In one quick motion, he had his arm through the bars, and his hand clasped around Sparrow's throat. But I wasn't worried about Sparrow's safety. Oh, no. I was too busy looking at the pirate's arm. It had turned to gleaming white bone, where the tattered sleeve of the pirate's shirt wasn't covering it. I recoiled in disgust, and a wave of nausea swept over me. Sparrow looked just as surprised.  
  
"So there is a curse. That's interesting," said Sparrow coolly.  
  
"You know nothing of Hell," he snarled back bitterly. The two left as suddenly as they'd come.  
  
"That's very interesting," Sparrow said to himself.  
  
"What in Hell's name was *that*?" I asked, feeling *extremely* confused. 'This is insane!' I thought heatedly.  
  
"What does it look like?" Sparrow replied. I stared at him. He sighed. "To be completely honest love, which I'm not, I have *no* idea."  
  
I didn't believe him. "*Of course* you know what's going on!" I shouted. "What with all that curse mumbo jumbo you said??"  
  
Sparrow shot me an angry look. "If I knew what was going on, I wouldn't tell you anyway. If I recall correctly, I seem to remember a certain someone not wanting to tell me about herself. I also remember her stealing my hat and punching me in the nose." He paused to flash me a cheeky grin. "Not much incentive for me to tell you what I *do* know, now is it?"  
  
I scowled at him. "Ye'd be much prettier if ya smiled love," he sassed, further infuriating me.  
  
"Unless you want another sock in the nose, I suggest you hold your tongue," I growled, using every ounce of self- control I had not to knock him out on the spot.  
  
"Sticks and stones love."  
  
Seeing that nothing I could say or do would shut him up, I resigned myself to staring out the hole in the wall. From what I could see, the Black Pearl was preparing to leave. 'I wish I knew what they were here for, and it obviously isn't for Captain Sparrow over there. Like anyone would want him anyway.' I looked over my shoulder at him. His hat was pulled over his eyes and he was apparently trying to sleep. I shrugged. 'Well, if you can't beat him, join him.' And so I nestled down in the dirty, rotting straw to try to catch some sleep. 'I'll sort everythin' out in the morn, and work on an escape plan.' In the next instant, sleep had taken over.  
  
~*~*~  
  
I awoke the next morning to the first rays of dawn coming through the gaping hole in the wall. I sat up groggily, and tried to make my half-awake mind focus.  
  
"Good morning sunshine!" Sparrow said cheerfully. 'And I'd thought he'd be asleep,' I groaned inwardly.  
  
"Glad to see ye've found a new name for me," I quipped, as I stood up and stretched. Sparrow was busy picking the lock with a splintered piece of bone. "I hate to break it to ya Sparrow, but that isn't going to work," I pointed out.  
  
He paused mid- lock picking and turned to look at me, his face suddenly serious, or so it seemed. "Call me Jack love," he said. I stared at him in shock, and I wasn't sure if I was surprised over him being serious for once, or for him asking me to call him Jack. I'm sure I looked like an overgrown fish, gaping at him like I was. I quickly recovered.  
  
"Only if you call me Rachel," I said. There was a tense moment. "I know it'll be difficult, since you seem *infatuated* with the word 'love'," I added sarcastically, trying to break the awkwardness. "Do we have an accord?" I asked. He grinned, and stuck out a hand. Noticing the many rings that adorned it, I shook it.  
  
"Well, Jack, you may continue on with your futile lock picking," I said, waving a dismissive hand in his direction.  
  
"And you, lo-Rachel, can resume with you pointless staring out the window," he replied evenly. We had reached a mutual truce, and I tried not to smile at his difficulty at not calling me 'love'.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: YES! ANOTHER POINTLESS CHAPTER UP! *does chicken dance* Y'all should be proud, two chappies in two days! *looks proud of herself* Unfortunately, this one is rather short...*instantly looks sheepish* It's better then nothing though! But Will will (lol! Will will! *readers look confused* never mind...) be in the next chapter! *Will fangirls cheer* Well, y'all all know what to do now!!! REVIEW ye scurvy dogs! And many thanks to San San As Herself who reviewed twice!! And also thanks to Rood-Roosje who also reviewed! *gives out free rum to reviewers* If ye review for this chapter, ye get free swords! Or cutlasses, whichever you want. Just don't poke someone's eye out with them! ^_^ Well, I must be going! Stories to read! Reviews to write! Sexy pirate captains to kidnap!! *laughs evilly again* Ta!  
  
Until next time,  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow~  
  
P.S.  
  
I was wondering if I have Jack in character or not. He's a hard one to write.... 


	4. Three's Company

Disclaimer: *Still* not mine. But I wish it was!  
  
~*~*~  
  
'Well, I guess I can;t think of him as Sparrow anymore,' I thought. 'He'll just have to be Jack.' And so Jack he became.  
  
I turned and looked out the window. The little town of Port Royal was cleaning up from the previous night's raid. As far as I could tell, our appointment with the gallows had been postponed. 'Which gives me more time to figure out how I'm gonna escape' I thought, slightly relieved. The Black Pearl had certainly left its mark. From my distant view I could tell that many structures and buildings had blown up. The pirates had obviously had a great time.  
  
Sighing, I went back to absently playing with a cornrow. I had the nervous habit of fidgeting, which was always a problem. It showed a sign of weakness, and I had to concentrate really hard not to. Deciding that it didn't really matter if I looked weak or not, I continued toying with my hair and thinking. As far as I could tell, there was no way in hell that we could get out of this cell, unless Jack was to miraculously pick the lock free. 'Unlikely,' I thought bitterly.  
  
My mind began to wander to the notorious pirate sharing the cell with me. I was finding it quite difficult to see what was so great about him. His swordsmanship was pretty good, but other than that, I hadn't seen much to be too impressed with. 'But he does have wit,' I reminded myself. 'Even if it's a bit strange.' I couldn't tell if he was mad, or just really odd.  
  
Not much happened for the next hour or so. Neither of us said anything, and all was silent save for the clicking of the bone in the lock, which was grating on my nerves. I was quite hungry, as it were, and none of the guards had shown up at all. I felt a foul mood coming on.  
  
Then I heard a door clang open and shut from upstairs. Jack glanced up at the sound and then threw himself onto his back on the floor, looking as if he were quite drunk. I, on the other hand, remained where I was, not even bothering to look up from my cornrow.  
  
"You! Sparrow!"  
  
I looked up immediately to see the young blacksmith standing in front of us. Jack lifted his head slightly so he could see him. "Aye." The blacksmith shot me a suspicious look, which I returned with my most charming grin, before continuing.  
  
"You are familiar with that ship - the Black Pearl?" he asked. This piqued my attention, and turned my gaze to Jack, expectantly awaiting his answer.  
  
"I've heard of it," he replied, seemingly uninterested. 'Well, that wasn't the answer I was waiting for,' I thought, still watching what was taking place.  
  
"Where does it make berth?" The annoying little whelp pressed. Jack pushed himself up a little bit more.  
  
"Where does it make berth? Have you not heard the stories?" he asked incredulously. At the blacksmith's blank look, he continued. "*Captain Barbossa* and his crew of miscreants sail from the dreaded Isla de Muerta . It's an island that cannot be found except by those who already know where it is."  
  
"The ship's real enough. Therefore its anchorage must be a real place. Where is it?" I shifted my weight so I was leaning against the wall once more. 'At least he's saving *me* from having to ask all the questions,' I thought, finding thw whole scenario horribly amusing.  
  
Jack studied his fingernails. "He looks like me when he does that," I muttered under my breath. "Why ask me?" Jack asked, trying to sound like he didn't care.  
  
"Because you're a pirate," the man answered, looking annoyed. This was just too much for me.  
  
"And you want to turn pirate yourself, is that it?" I asked sarcastically, speaking for the first time. Jack turned around and grinned at me.  
  
"Never!" he exclaimed in reply, glaring at me.  
  
" 'Twas just a harmless question lad. No use getting yer drawers all in a knot," I laughed. The blacksmith looked as if he wanted to hit me.  
  
"They took Miss Swann," he admitted through clenched teeth.  
  
"Oh, so it is that you've found a girl!" said Jack, smirking. "I see. Well, if you're intending to brave all, hasten to her rescue and so win fair lady's heart you'll have to do it alone, mate. I see no profit in it for me."  
  
"Or me!" I added. The blacksmith gave me a withering look. 'Lad really doesn't like me,' I thought, trying not to laugh. He turned his attention back to Jack.  
  
"I can get *you* out of here," he said to Jack. Now it was my turn to glare at him.  
  
"How's that? The key's run off," I pointed out, my foul mood worsening. If he came here to waste our time, I was going to let him have it. Jack nodded in agreement to this.  
  
The blacksmith looked thoughtful for a moment, before replying. "I helped build these cells. These are half pin-barrel hinges." He turned around and picked up a bench, placing it at the bottom of the cell door. 'This should be interesting,' I thought. At our questioning looks, he continued. "With the right leverage and the proper application of strength. the door will lift free," he finished, giving us an expectant look. To be honest, I was mildly impressed. Jack appeared so too.  
  
"What's your name?" he asked the young man.  
  
"Will Turner," was the answer. 'That sounds familiar,' I thought. I couldn't help but notice how suddenly interested Jack was now.  
  
"That will be short for William , I imagine. Good, strong name. No doubt, named for your father, eh?" asked Jack. 'He knows who he is,' thought I. '*Damn* it! Why can't I place him!'  
  
"Yes," Will nodded.  
  
"Uh-huh," Jack muttered. Looking back up at Will, he smiled. "Well, Mr. Turner , I've changed me mind. If you spring me from this cell I swear on pain of death I shall take you to the Black Pearl and your bonny lass. Do we have an accord?" I blinked in surprise at Jack's sudden agreement. 'He's *definitely* got something up his sleeve,' I thought, looking at him.  
  
Will looked doubtful for a minute. "Agreed," he said, and they shook hands.  
  
"Agreed. Now get us out!" I ordered. Will sent me another one of those annoying looks.  
  
"You're not part of the agreement," said he. I stared at him.  
  
"Well mate, there's no way you'll be getting Captain Sparrow out without inadvertantly letting *Captain* Harris out as well. Savvy?" I asked. 'He must *really* not like me,' I thought. When he didn't respond, I continued. "Besides, three's better than two, especially when trying to escape from the likes of that bloody Norrington character," I pointed out.  
  
Will didn't say anything for a long moment. "Fine, you can join us," he agreed, albeit reluctantly, and lifted the door free. "Hurry. Someone will have heard that," he hastened, looking nervously at the exit.  
  
"Not without my effects," Jack said and hurried over to retrieve his things. I followed behind. While I was checking my pistol and cutlass, I heard them whispering.  
  
"I don't think it's such a good idea to let her accompany us," said Will.  
  
"No mate, it would've been far worse not to have," Jack said, sounding very serious. I smiled to myself. 'Mr. Turner and I will have a *splendid* time together,' I thought wickedly.  
  
I turned around to face them. "I'm ready," I announced. Will then noticed my cutlass.  
  
"Hey! That's my sword!" he yelled, outraged. I shrugged.  
  
"Someone will have heard that," I simpered, smirking at him. And he shot me yet *another* withering look.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: I've decided to write shorter chapters, and update more. Savvy? Good. (apologies to Rood-Roosje. I know you wanted longer chapters.) I want to thank everyone for their reviews! 7 freakin reviews for the last chapter! *does happy dance* And here's the well deserved cutlasses! *reviewers cheer and are thankful that the authoress finally got to the point* Here's the shoutouts!  
  
Rood-Roosje- Thankies! I'm glad you liked the chapter! Unfortunately though, I'm too impatient to write long chapters. Don't hurt me!! But I'm sure the chapters will get longer! I'm still in the brainstorming process. Here's your cutlass!  
  
DaydreamBeliever14- *breathes a sigh of relief* Whew. Glad I have Jack in character! Thanks soooo much for the review! *hands over a cutlass* I like your penname by the way!  
  
San San As Herself- Dude! You are sooo awesome! Thanks for reviewing so much! You get an extra prettyful cutlass!  
  
Cpt-Jack-Sparrow- Thanks sooo much! I'm glad this is one of your favs! Your reviews are much appreciated! Here's yer cutlass!  
  
Well y'all, that's about it! And if ye know what's good for ya, REVIEW!!! I'm giving out POTC movie posters if ya do!! *reviewers look greedy* And since, exams are FINALLY over, I get more time to write! Yay me! Since I'm rambling, I'll shut up now. Ta!!  
  
Until next time,  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	5. The Interceptor Is Finally Commandeered

Disclaimer: If you haven't figured it out yet, I DO NOT OWN PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN! But I *do* own the DVD! *hugs DVD tightly* Oh, and I own Johnny Depp. He's locked in my basement. ^_^  
  
~*~*~  
  
"We're going to do what?" Will asked incredulously.  
  
We were hiding behind some rocks, looking out at the bay towards the ships. Will, who doesn't seem too smart (A/N: Sorry to the Will fangirls, but you must remember that Rachel doesn't like Will!), thought we were going to commandeer the Dauntless. 'Honestly, *why* did we have to get stuck with him,' I thought, somewhat exasperated.  
  
"We're going to commandeer *that* ship," I said, and pointed to the Interceptor. Then I looked at Jack. "How exactly are we going to do that?"  
  
He simply smirked. "You'll see," he said. He looked at Will. "One question about your business, boy, or there's no use going. This girl - how far are you willing to go to save her?"  
  
Will looked a bit miffed before replying. "I'd die for her," he stated boldly. I rolled my eyes. Come to think of it, I'd been rolling my eyes a lot lately.  
  
"Oh good, no worries then."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"This is either madness or brilliance," said Will, looking quite nervous.  
  
"I'm going with the former," I stated, stepping over a crab trap. "Watch out for that," I warned, but it was too late. Will had already stepped in it.  
  
Jack seemed oblivious to Will's preoccupation with extracting the trap from his foot.  
  
"It's remarkable how often those two traits coincide," he commented.  
  
Currently we were in the water. Actually, we were under the water, walking underneath a little row boat. The idea was quite brilliant really, but I was loathe to tell Jack this. 'I'll need to remember this little trick,' I thought, making a self-note.  
  
We soon came to the Dauntless, and boarded by sneaking up the side. Once on the main deck, we saw the redcoats. Naturally, Jack sauntered up like he owned the place. "Everyone stay calm! we are taking over the ship," he exclaimed, waving his pistol around. 'His pistol with *one* shot,' I reminded myself. 'It's a good thing those lobster-backs don't know that.'  
  
"Aye! Avast!" Will added, making a fool of himself. Jack and I looked at him like he was insane. The British soldiers simply laughed.  
  
"Um...yeah. Swash, swash, buckle, buckle," I said mocking him. He either didn't hear me or ignored me, because I didn't get his trademarked "withering look". 'Pity,' I though sarcastically. 'At least Jack looked amused.'  
  
"This ship cannot be crewed by two men. You'll never make it out of the bay," one particularly annoying redcoat pointed out, sneering slightly. 'Am I invisible here? Just because I'm a woman doesn't make me helpless!' I thought.  
  
"You! You're Norrington's little stooge!" I exclaimed in recognition. The redcoat blushed slightly, and looked annoyed. "Well, mate, you've got nothing to worry about. I'm sure we can handle everything," I said in mock reassurance. Norrington's little stooge looked nonplused, and seemed to have ignored me all together. 'What *is* it with these people?' I thought, outraged.  
  
Jack stepped in for me. He pointed his pistol at the offending redcoat and cocked it. "Son...I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Savvy?"  
  
That obviously did the trick, because pretty soon the redcoat, whom Will identified as Gillette ('What kind of a name is that??!'), and the rest of his men had abandoned the ship and had taken off in one of the boats.  
  
"Act like you're trying to set sail," ordered Jack, glancing over his shoulder at where the Interceptor was anchored.  
  
So the three of us proceeded to look like idiots. "I feel like a retard," I commented grimly, as I tossed a rope from the rigging around uselessly.  
  
"That's the point love," Jack answered.  
  
"What did I tell you about that "love" business?" I snapped, sending him a glare that could freeze fire. He was about to retort when Will cut him off.  
  
"Here they come," he said, looking excited. Jack and I both turned to look. (A/N: The scene where Jack looks sooo sexy!!^_-) Sure enough, the Interceptor had set sail, and was making straight for us.  
  
"Now's our chance," Jack said as the Interceptor drew up alongside the Dauntless.  
  
"Search every cabin, every hold, down to the bilges!" I heard Norrington order. But it was too late. We had already swung aboard the Interceptor. Jack cut the ropes and we were soon drifting away. It was then that Norrington noticed our escape. "Sailors, back to the Interceptor! Now!" he yelled, looking distraught.  
  
"What an *idiot*!" I laughed, making faces at him. One of the sailors tried to swing across to the Interceptor, but it was to no avail. I peered over the rail at the fallen sailor splashing around in the water. "Frightful bad luck mate!" I called down to him. He gave me a look that was almost identical to the ones I usually received from Will. I smirked back at him.  
  
"Thank you, Commodore, for getting us ready to make way! We'd have had a hard time of it by ourselves." I heard Jack yell. I turned to see him grinning like a madman at Norrington.  
  
The soldiers opened fire on us, and I ducked behind the rail. "We had better get out of range of the Dauntless's cannons," Will said, looking back at it nervously.  
  
"Not to worry lad. Jack's already thought of that. He's disabled the rudder chain," I replied. Thinking this to be too kind of a reply for Will I also added "It's good thing you weren't in charge of this, or else we would've been sent down to Davey Jones' already."  
  
"You're despicable," Will muttered, shaking his head and going off to join Jack at the helm. Once we were out of their range of fire, I joined them.  
  
"Well, that was easy," I commented lightly.  
  
Jack nodded. "All in a day's work," he said self-importantly. Will and I both rolled our eyes at this, and I turned and walked over to the railing to look out at the water. Will had walked off to inspect the ship. "You finally got *your* ship," Jack said.  
  
I turned around so I was leaning carelessly on the rail. "Aye, and it's about time. I would've had it all to me onesies of you hadn't have come and ruined it for me," I retorted.  
  
Jack feigned looking apologetic. "I'm terribly sorry love, but now you've got the better deal."  
  
"Uh-huh. Sure. And what, *Captain* could possibly be better then having this ship to meself?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
"Having me along with it of course!" he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.  
  
I didn't have anything good to say to this. "You wish," I finished lamely. There was a moment of silence. "Where're we headed to anyway?" I asked while I watched Will disappear down the steps into the hold of the ship.  
  
"Tortuga," said Jack flatly.  
  
"Tortuga?"  
  
"Aye, Tortuga."  
  
"It's been a while since I've been there." And it had been. The last time I was there was before my beloved ship had been taken from me. I left that minor detail out of the conversation though. "A great town, Tortuga. And some of the best taverns in the Caribbean." The thought of rum cheered me up sufficiently.  
  
Jack was watching Will approach us. "Time to deal with the whelp," he said.  
  
"I'll let you deal with him. I don't think he likes me."  
  
Jack shot me an amused looked. "It seems to me the feelings mutual."  
  
"Damn right!" I replied. "He started it though."  
  
"Yes, well, in a minute he's not going to like me anymore than he like's you."  
  
"Erm...Jack, what exactly *are* you going to do to him anyway?" I asked.  
  
"Don't worry love, it won't hurt him. It'll be good for him actually."  
  
Shrugging, I went back to staring at the endless blue-green of the Caribbean Sea.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: I write too many short, pointless chapters. It's a good thing there's no such thing as the short, pointless chapter police, or I'd be in deeeeeeeep doodoo. hehe. Onto a more *interesting* topic. I AM READING LORD OF THE RINGS!!! AND I JUST SAW ROTK FRIDAY NIGHT!! *dances around the room like a lunatic* That movie was awesome! But I haven't read all of the books yet. (I just finished the first one.) Ok...so that little tidbit of info wasn't that important. So I'm going to go on to the shout outs to my lovely, wonderful reviewers! Y'all rock my world!!  
  
katesparrow- Thanks for the review! And your story's awesome! Glad you like Rachel! Here's your movie poster! Hope ya enjoy!  
  
San San As Herself- cutlasses are not to be used for foot stabbing! But at least ye didn't poke someone's eye out! Thanks for the review! *hands San San As Herself a POTC movie poster*  
  
DaydreamBeliever14- Thanks for the review! And I'm sooo glad ya like the cutlass! now you have a movie poster to add to the collection!  
  
PED-sarah- Thankies for the review and the suggestion! The suggestion was much appreciated! I'm so glad you like my story! *authoress looks extremely self important* Have a movie poster!  
  
coco bean- Thanks for the review! and i'm glad ya like the story! Jack is my personal fav! DUH! Personally, I prefer Orlando as an elf in LOTR. But that's just my personal opinion!  
  
That's all for right now folks! And this time if ye review ye get....*drum roll* RUM!!!!  
  
Jack: Rum???Where???  
  
Me: Nevermind Jack.  
  
Jack: *looks confused*  
  
Keep up the good work on the reviewing! REVIEW REVIEW REVIEW to those who haven't done so before. I will repeat myself in saying that reviews give me inspiration. Well, I'm going to go now. Ta!  
  
Until next time,  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow~  
  
P.S. : 3 days till Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOO!! 


	6. Let Him Drown

Disclaimer: I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. Poor me. To make things worse, the authorities came and took Johnny Depp away. :^(  
  
~*~*~  
  
Will sat down and began to sharpen his sword. I sat watching him in silence. Jack was up at the helm steering the ship, a faraway look in his eyes. 'Seems to have forgotten about dealing with the whelp,' I thought as I watched him.  
  
After a while, Will spoke. "When I was a lad living in England , my mother raised me by herself. After she died, I came out here, looking for my father." I turned my gaze back to Will.  
  
"That was totally and completely random," I said. Both Jack and Will ignored my comment.  
  
"Is that so?" Jack asked absently, staring ahead at the horizon.  
  
"My father, Will Turner. At the jail, it was only after you learned my name that you agreed to help. Since that's what I wanted, I didn't press the matter. I'm not a simpleton, Jack. You knew my father." Will looked at Jack waiting for his answer. 'I'm going to murder him if he gives Will a straight answer,' I thought fiercely. I mentally shrugged. 'But at least I'll get an answer this way.'  
  
"I knew 'im. Probably one the few who knew him as William Turner . Everyone else just called him Bootstrap or Bootstrap Bill," Jack said finally. My eyes widened in surprise.  
  
"Bootstrap Bill?" I asked in amazement. "Your the son of Bootstrap Bill Turner?" Of course, Will ignored me.  
  
"Bootstrap?"  
  
"Good man. Good pirate. I swear you look just like him," Jack said.  
  
Will looked pretty upset now. 'This is going to be good,' I thought in amusement. Will was now standing up.  
  
"It's not true. He was a merchant sailor. A good, respectable man who obeyed the law," Will all but snarled.  
  
"He was a bloody pirate, a scallywag." Jack was looking annoyed now.  
  
"You know, dear William, that denial is the first step to the road of acceptance," I teased. Unfortunately, this seemed to set him off.  
  
"My father was *not* a pirate!" he snapped, and drew his sword. I was standing now, and had my cutlass drawn as well. Jack just looked bored.  
  
"Put it away son," he sighed.  
  
"Aye, it's not worth you being beat again," I quipped.  
  
"You didn't beat me. you ignored the rules of engagement. In a fair fight, I'd killed you," he said to Jack. By now all eyes were on Jack, who grinned.  
  
"Then that's not much incentive for me to fight fair, then, is it?" And he turned the wheel abruptly, causing the yard of the sails swung around. I ducked it quickly, having much experience on ships. Unfortunately for Will, the yard caught him right in the stomach, and swung him out over the water, causing him to drop his sword in the process. He was hanging on for dear life, and looked quite terrified. I waved cheerily at him. His terror was momentarily replaced with a glare.  
  
"Now, as long as you're just hanging there, pay attention. The only rules that really matter are these - what a man can do and what a man can't do. For instance, you can accept that your father was a pirate and a good man or you can't. But pirate is in your blood, boy, so you'll have to square with that someday." I nodded vigorously at this. "Now, me, for example, I can let you drown... but me and Rachel here can't bring this ship into Tortuga all by ourselves, savvy?" Jack asked.  
  
Will nodded slowly. "Personally, I think we should let him drown," I suggested.  
  
"As much as I would like that, love, he's essential to the nature of this venture," Jack replied, smiling slightly. He turned is attention back to Will, who looked as if he couldn't hold on much longer. "So..." Jack turned the wheel again and the yard swung back, dumping Will onto the deck. He held the sword out for Will. "Can you sail under the command of a pirate? Or can you not?"  
  
Will took the sword, looking very humbled. "Tortuga?" asked he.  
  
"Aye," I answered.  
  
"Tortuga," Jack finished.  
  
Will nodded, then turned to speak to me. "I'm not going to forget that whole 'Let him drown' thing too easily," he said.  
  
"I wouldn't expect you too," I smirked. "Lucky for you I'm not in charge, or else you'd be long gone." Will huffed and turned to Jack.  
  
"I'm going to get some rest," he said. "And to get away from *her*," he added and stormed off.  
  
Jack was laughing now. "What is so funny?" I inquired.  
  
Jack shrugged. "Nothing, except this is going to be one *hell* of a trip with the two of you acting the way you are."  
  
"He started it," I replied.  
  
"And I'm sure that you'll finish it."  
  
"I need rum," I stated bluntly. "I wonder if this ship has any."  
  
"I don't know, love, but if you go searching for it, I suggest you stay away from dear William, lest he run you through on the spot," Jack advised good-naturedly.  
  
"Advice taken," I laughed, and walked down to the Interceptor's hold, in search of the only drink that could soothe my troubles and make me forget my past.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: This is a really short chapter and I apologize. But today is Christmas, and I got the LOTR: RotK game for my PS2, and I really want to go play it. Plus, I'm going to a friends house, and I wanted to get something written, no matter how short it is. That being said, I'll stop with my mindless babble. On the shoutouts!  
  
San San As Herself- Movie posters are not supposed to be used for eyepoking! lol. You get rum this time. I don't think you can hurt yourself with rum! Thanks for the review!  
  
Jessi Lupin- Thanks for the review mate! and here's your rum!  
  
Rood-Roosje- Thankies for the review! Yes, Will and Rachel don't like each other. It adds comic relief. *grins* Here's the promised rum!  
  
CentrefoldPirate- Thanks so much for the review! I'm glad you like this story. I think that yours is awesome as well! I like Will too, but he tends to get on my nerves sometimes... Here's your rum!  
  
Thanks to everyone for the reviews! They were greatly appreciated. Remember to REVIEW for this chapter as well!  
  
Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas to everyone!  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	7. An Accord

Disclaimer: If you don't know by now, I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean. To make things worse then they already are, I have become depressed without Johnny. T_T  
  
~*~*~  
  
The three of us spent several *long* days on aboard the Interceptor. Much to my chagrin (and Jack's) there was no rum to be found. This put me in such a bad mood that even Jack avoided me most of the time. I think Will would have avoided me either way. I did manage to find out that Will didn't drink. At all.  
  
"Rum. I need rum," I dead- panned. I had been saying this nonstop practically the whole way.  
  
"We know love," Jack replied absently.  
  
Tortuga could be seen in the distance, and the three of us were standing next to Jack at the helm.  
  
"I don't understand you *pirates* obsession with rum. I don't find it that fascinating in the least." This was Will. The bitterness with which he said 'pirates' made me flinch slightly.  
  
"I think that has something to do with the fact that he's a eunuch," Jack said in an undertone.  
  
"I am *not* a eunuch!" Will cried, throwing his hands up in frustration.  
  
"You have all the signs of being one you know," I said. "The biggest being your thing with rum. There is *nothing* wrong with rum. In fact, I couldn't live without it."  
  
"Very true," Jack said. "But a eunuch wouldn't understand that. Tell me Will, have you ever drinken at all?"  
  
Will looked slightly uncomfortable. "Once or twice," he admitted. "But I'll never do it again. It gave me a horrible headache the next morning."  
  
"That, dear William, would be a hangover," I explained. "Luckily for you, you weren't throwing up the next morning. Now, I, on the other hand, can consume unrealistic amounts of rum, ale, whiskey, or anything alcoholic with out getting a hangover the next morning."  
  
Jack nodded. "Aye, the more often you drink, the higher toleration you have." He grinned wickedly. "We'll have to work on that."  
  
Will didn't answer to this, and instead stared out at Tortuga, growing closer in the distance.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"More importantly, it is indeed a sad life that has never breathed deep this sweet, proliferous bouquet that is Tortuga , savvy? What do you think?" Jack asked, talking to Will. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"Such big words for someone like you," I teased. Jack gave me an annoyed look. And, of course, Will ignored me all together.  
  
"It'll linger," he replied to Jack, making a point not to look at me. 'It seems he's resorted to the silent treatment,' I thought.  
  
"I'll tell you mate, if every town in the world were like this one, no man would ever feel unwanted," Jack continued.  
  
Yes, Tortuga was a great place. I would give him that, but 'sweet, proliferous bouquet' is not exactly how I would describe it. In fact, I don't even know what 'proliferous' means. 'Best to pretend I do.'  
  
Will looked quite nervous at the chaos that is Tortuga. There is no set order, and everyone runs around wildly. It's a town of pirates, drunks, and whores, there's no in between. 'Speaking of whores,' I thought. We had just come across several of them that Jack seemed to be "familiar" with.  
  
"Scarlett!" Jack exclaimed, calling to a very repulsive- looking redhead. Catching sight of him, her demeanor changed drastically. Actually, it was a look I was quite familiar with: the look of a pissed off women.  
  
"Uh-oh," I muttered. Jack shot me a brief questioning look before turning his attention back to the redheaded prostitute. She stormed over to him, reared her hand back, and slapped him as hard as she could. Jack's head snapped back from the force of her blow.  
  
"Not sure I deserved that," he said stupidly. "Giselle!" he exclaimed, seeing another, this time blond, whore striding toward him. Pausing in front of him, she shot him a glare.  
  
"Who was *she*?" she snipped, and slapped Jack with more force than the previous.  
  
"I may have deserved that," Jack said.  
  
Giselle then turned her angry, overly done face to me. "Watch out for him," she warned, and stalked away.  
  
By now I was laughing so hard I could barely breath. I looked at Jack and opened my mouth to speak, but he cut me off.  
  
"Don't say a *word*," he snapped irritably, seemingly not as amused by the whole scenario as I was.  
  
We followed Jack for a while, through dark alleyways and main thoroughfares. He was obviously searching for someone.  
  
"Damn it Jack!" I cursed after two hours of wandering. "What the hell are we looking for?"  
  
Jack stopped suddenly in front of a pigpen. "That is what we're looking for love," he said, pointing at a man who was sleeping with the pigs. I wrinkled my nose in disgust. "That is disgusting," I complained. Will nodded in agreement. Grinning, Jack motioned us to stay where we were and he disappeared into the tavern we were next to. He came back out moments later with a couple of buckets of water, and threw one onto the sleeping man.  
  
"Curse you for breathing, you slack-jawed idiot!" he bellowed, looking around wildly. Then he noticed us standing there. "Mother's love! Jack ! You should know better than to wake a man when he's sleeping. 'S bad luck."  
  
Jack smiled crookedly at him. "Ah, fortunately I know how to counter it. The man who did the waking buys, the man who was sleeping, a drink. The man who was sleeping drinks it while listening to a proposition from the man who did the waking." Both Will and the man blinked stupidly at this. Sadly, pig-sty man figured it out first. (A/N: Sorry Will fangirls, couldn't help meself!! *wicked grin*)  
  
"Aye, that'll about do it," the man replied, grinning back. Will picked up the other bucket and threw it on him. "Blast! I'm already awake!"  
  
"That was for the smell," Will stated. I couldn't help but smile at this. 'He has a sense of humor after all!' I thought. 'Or was he being serious?'  
  
"Rachel, Will, this is Gibbs," Jack introduced. "Gibbs, this is Captain Rachel Harris." I nodded in greeting. "And this is William Turner." Gibbs shot jack an odd look. "Tell ya later mate," Jack whispered so that Will couldn't make out what he was saying.  
  
"Hello," Will said.  
  
"Well," said Jack, clapping his hands together. "Let's get that drink shall we?"  
  
"Finally!" I exclaimed, and led the way to the neighboring tavern. Looking up at the sign I read ''The Faithful Bride''. 'How ironic,' I thought.  
  
Stepping inside, I inhaled deeply and the scent of rum, sweat, sex, and other unknown things filled my nostrils. 'Home sweet home,' I thought and made my way over to the bar and ordered three rums. Jack and Gibbs had gone into a back room, away from the brawls and had apparently posted Will as look out.  
  
I paused before I went in. "Sure ye don't want anything mate?" I asked.  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
Shrugging I continued into the room. "Your loss," I called over my shoulder. I set two of the rums on the table for Jack and Gibbs, and sat down in a seat in the corner.  
  
Jack gave me an annoyed look. "Why don't ye go stand watch with the whelp?" he suggested. I glared at him.  
  
"Not moving."  
  
"Really Rachel, this doesn't concern you," he said.  
  
"I really think it does," I shot back.Gibbs was watching us silently.  
  
"Someone has to make sure he doesn't get himself killed!" Jack exclaimed desperately.  
  
"He's a big boy," I countered and leaned back in my chair. "Besides, you owe me a few explanations as it were."  
  
"If I recall correctly, you owe me just as many," Jack replied, smiling deviously.  
  
I gave him a hard look. "Fine then. I'll tell you about myself if you let me in on this," I offered.  
  
"All right then. Do we have an accord?" Jack asked.  
  
"Aye," I answered, and we shook on it.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: Bwahahaha!! I'm the queen of laziness!!!!! And of short pointless chapters!! *laughs maniacly*  
Anywho, I'm going to Orlando on Monday with a friend! *does ecstatic dance* And I'll be gone 'till Friday, so this will prob be the last time I update 'till then. *readers look sad* But have no fear! I will update on Friday(most likely) and if not then, then on Saturday! Now on to reviewer shoutouts! And it just occured to me I didn't promise y'all any reward for reviewing last chapter. So y'all get free tickets to LOTR: RotK movie!  
  
Jessi Lupin- Thanks for the review! I'm sorry you're sick! Hope ya feel better! Here be your movie tickets! (even though you've already seen it. Just go again! Cuz its a great awesome movie!)  
  
CentrefoldPirate- Thank you very much for the review! Yes, Will and Rachel really don't like each other. As weird as that is. *shrugs* Your welcome for the rum. Now ye get movie tickets to RotK! *starts dreaming bout Aragorn and Legolas*  
  
emeraldmedallion- I'm so glad you like the story! Personally, I wish I was Rachel too. 'Twould be fun to piss off Will and Jack all the time! Sadly, Johnny Depp was takin from my basement. Hence my depression. *sighs* here's your tickets!  
  
San San As Herself- I'm begining to think you're a jinx mate! Lol. *Hopefully* movie tickets are safe. Just don't choke on a piece of popcorn. that would be bad. *grins*  
  
Now, for all ye other scurvy dogs, REVIEW! And I just might give y'all movie tickets or something else really neato!! *grins* Well, bubye!  
  
Happy New Year!  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow! 


	8. One Room, One Bed, and a Very Drunk Will

A/N: I wonder how much it would cost to buy Pirates of the Caribbean?  
  
~*~*~  
  
(A/N: I'm gonna skip the whole part where Jack explains to Gibbs about Will and everything because I'm too lazy. *sheepish grin*)  
  
"Well, that's settled then. Time for more rum!" Jack exclaimed.  
  
"Sorry mates, I have to go look for yer crew. 'Twill probably prove difficult," Gibbs declined, and left the tavern, waving farewell. Now I had time to talk to Jack alone.  
  
"You're going to use Will?" I whispered.  
  
"Aye. That's what I said isn't it?"  
  
"'Tis. Will he die in the process?"  
  
"Most likely."  
  
"Oh. That's good." We exchanged grins. Jack leaned toward me.  
  
"Now love, time for you to hold up your end of the bargain."  
  
"Hehe," I laughed nervously. "Now? In here?" Jack nodded.  
  
"Couldn't we rent a room?" I suggested.  
  
"We *could*. Would ye like that?" he said suggestively. 'Pervert!' I thought.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that!" I snapped, outraged. "You insufferable bilgerat!"  
  
"Aw, come on love. You know you want to." He waggled his eyebrows.  
  
"Damn it Jack! Now ye've made me mad. I ain't telling you."  
  
"Calm yourself, missy. It was all in jest."  
  
"It isn't funny." I glared daggers at him. I was not in the mood for his idea of 'jest', especially when I was about to tell him a major part of my past. The reason why I had no ship. I sighed heavily, and exhaustion washed over me suddenly. "I need another drink. I haven't had enough rum to tell you just yet," I snipped and strolled out of the back room into the noisy brawl of the tavern. Will was still standing outside.  
  
"Want any rum yet?" I asked. He gave me a strange look. 'Well, it beats his usual nasty one,' I thought. His expression changed to one of resignation.  
  
"Maybe a little," he replied.  
  
"Ah, great!" I exclaimed, clapping my hands together gleefully. "Maybe you aren't a eunuch after all."  
  
"He has yet to prove that," Jack drawled from his seat.  
  
I smiled evilly at Will. "Very true. We'll just have to see."  
  
~*~*~  
  
"88 bottles of rum on the wall! 88 bottles of rum! Take one down and pass it around, 87 bottles of rum on the wall!" Will bellowed.  
  
"Gah! Make him stop!" Jack yelled over Will's *extremely* bad singing voice. I covered my ears with my hands.  
  
"Maybe the rum was a bad idea!" I shouted back.  
  
"He only had two!"  
  
"Must shut him up," I muttered. Will was now twirling around with a pint in his hand. His third pint. I snatched it out of his hand.  
  
"Hey! What'd ya do that for?" he slurred.  
  
"No more rum for you Will," I told him. He frowned and made to snatch the rum back from me. I held it out of his reach. "Uh, Jack! A little help here!" I called.  
  
Jack grinned cheekily. "You seem to have it under control, love. Besides, you haven't held up your end of the bargain yet." I growled under my breath.  
  
"Fine," I retorted, and turned back to Will, who was looking sullenly at the rum in my hand. "Why don't you keep singing your song?" I suggested. Will's face lit up, and he smiled broadly.  
  
"87 bottles of-"  
  
"Alright! Alright!" Jack shouted. The whole tavern fell silent. Jack waved at everyone. "Sorry mates, you may continue." The tavern was soon roaring again.  
  
"Ah yes. Thank you dear William. You've proved somewhat useful for once," I simpered. "Now, Jack, would you be so kind as to rent us some rooms."  
  
"Therein lies the problem, love. I've no more money."  
  
"What?" I asked incredulously, glancing at Will who was now talking to some invisible friend of his. "I only have a 6 shillings left. Does Will have any money?" We turned to look at Will, who had stopped babbling and was now staring into space, clearly in a drunken stupor.  
  
"Will, lad, do you have any money?" asked Jack.  
  
No response. Jack cleared his throat loudly and tried again. "Will!" he said loudly. Will snapped to attention, and regarded Jack suspiciously.  
  
"Who're you?" he demanded, a confused look on his face. He squinted. "Ah! A pirate!" he screamed shrilly, turned as white as a sheet, and passed out. Jack and I looked at each other.  
  
"Bloody fucking hell," I sighed. "It's going to be a *long* night."  
  
Jack was chuckling softly to himself. "Ye know, yer kind of cute when yer angry," he commented.  
  
"Really?" I asked sarcastically, and ambled over to where he was, so that we were nose to nose. I slapped him hard, his head snapping back. Smirking, I watched him rub his cheek. "Don't *ever* call me cute," I warned, and stalked off, leaving Jack to attend to Will.  
  
~*~*~  
  
"How much are the rooms?" I asked the man behind the desk. He looked up from his work and blinked stupidly, then looked me up and down before his eyes settled on my chest. I cleared my throat. "Ahem. I'm up *here*, thank you very much," I huffed. His eyes snapped up to my face. He smiled unpleasantly.  
  
"What did ye say lassie?" he asked gruffly.  
  
"How *much* are the *rooms*?" I asked again, this time impatiently.  
  
"Ah yes. They be 4 shillings," he replied. 'Damn...this is NOT good.'  
  
"I have six shillings," I told him. "But I need two rooms, savvy?"  
  
"Aye. But you need eight shillings for two rooms, and that you don't have."  
  
"Please?"  
  
"It's money or-" he trailed off, then licked his lips. "Your services."  
  
'Eeeeewww!' I took a step back. "Let me think...NO!" I snarled, repulsed by his offer. 'I should have known,' I thought bitterly. 'All men are the same.'  
  
"Fine," he replied, looking taken aback. "Is there anything you *do* want?" I could tell he really wanted me to leave him alone now.  
  
"Aye. One room please." I handed over the four shillings and took the key he gave me. I was careful to avoid any physical contact, lest I retch all over the floor in disgust. (A/N: I know, I know. BAD mental images. Ewww...) I hurried off back into the main tavern as quickly as I could, and found Jack trying to revive Will.  
  
"No use," I commented. "He's out for the night."  
  
"Aye. That'll be one hell of a head ache tomorrow. What I don't get is that he didn't even drink that much," Jack replied. He shrugged. "We'll have to drag him."  
  
"Sounds like fun," I moaned. "Which reminds me, I could only get one room."  
  
"One room? We'll have some fun tonight, love," Jack said, grinning.  
  
"That's what *you* think," I replied. "Let's just get him upstairs."  
  
Jack and I each took and arm and pulled Will up the stairs. His head "accidentally" banged the step a few times, and we dropped him a few times from "physical exhaustion". It took about twenty minutes to get him to the room. We shoved him in the corner, and stood for a moment surveying the room.  
  
It was plain. There was a bed on one side with a night stand and oil lamp beside it. On the other was was a bureau and a mirror. In the corner opposite Will, there was a bathing basin, a bar of soap, and a towel draped over it, and a chair next to the basin. A few shabby looking paintings hung on the walls, and a small window overlooked a dingy-looking alleyway.  
  
"Lovely place, this is," Jack commented after finishing his view of the room. I nodded.  
  
"I get the bed!" I announced, and flung myself face-first on it. I flipped over and put my hands behind my head. "You get the chair," I said. "Or would you rather sleep on the floor?" Jack grumbled something incoherent. "What?" I asked.  
  
"I'm not sleeping in that chair or on the floor. We're *sharing* the bed," he said. I blew one of my blonde cornrows out of my face.  
  
"No, we aren't."  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Nay."  
  
"Aye."  
  
"Nay."  
  
"Fine then. I'll sit on ye," Jack threatened.  
  
"You wouldn't!" I gasped.  
  
"Oh, but I would." He leaped onto the bed and landed on top of me, and then rolled over onto his stomach so that he could see my face. He had me pinned to the bed, with nowhere to look but at him. 'This is *not* good,' I thought, panicking slightly. "I think I like this position," Jack remarked, grinning slightly.  
  
'Wow. I didn't know his eyes were so...beautiful,' I thought. They truly were: dark brown and intelligent, and, at the moment, filled with mischief and.... lust? 'What the hell?!' I regained my senses then. "Get off me!" I snapped, trying to squirm out from under him. He wouldn't budge.  
  
"I'm quite comfortable thank you very much," he drawled.  
  
"Dammit Jack! This isn't funny!" I yelled, and with as much strength as I could, managed to push him off. Actually, he rolled off, and hit the floor with a thud. I sprang out of the bed and had my cutlass at his throat before he could so much as move. He smiled weakly at me. "If you *ever* do that again, I'll kill ye. Do NOT touch me, savvy?"  
  
"Aye, love. Now, could you let me up?"  
  
I sheathed my sword and sat back down on the bed. Jack shot me one last pleading look. "The chair, Jack. Now," I growled. Sighing, he sunk heavily into it.  
  
"You win," he said, and tipped his hat over his eyes. Satisfied that he wouldn't try anything else, I blew out the lamp and settled in to the bed and thought about my reaction to Jack. 'That's never happened before. And I don't think I like it. At all.' I was confused. 'Must be lust,' I summed up finally. My mind somewhat at ease, I drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep.  
  
TBC  
  
~*~*~  
  
A/N: Woo hoo! I *finally* updated!! It's a bit longer then the previous chapters, which I hope is a good thing. I'm worried that Jack is a bit OOC. If this chappie is totally horrible I'll rewrite it. Also, if anyone wants to be my beta reader let me know in a review or email. I definitely need the help. -_-  
Now, on to review replies! Y'all get rum this time!  
  
I lOvE cHeRrIeS yUm- Yes, it is a great ride. I also rode it before it came out. Thanks so much for the review! Here's yer rum mate!  
  
Jessi Lupin- You reviewed twice! Thanks so much! I look forward to helping you with your new story. -_- Thankies again for the long reviews!  
Rachel: Yeah, she loves long reviews. Jumped around like a maniac.  
Jack: Aye, it was kind of scary.  
Me: Shut up you two. *to Jessi* Here's yer rum mate! :^P  
  
CentrefoldPirate- The spell check on Word says that 'proliferous' is not a real word. According to dictionary.com , the definition is "Freely producing buds or offshoots, especially from unusual places, as shoots from flowers or fruits from fruits." *shrugs* I have NO idea how that fits in. Oh well, here's yer rum. And thanks for the review!  
  
Vyerna Malice- Yeah, it is kinda mary-sueish, but I'm glad you still like it. Thanks for the review. I think your story really cool and not Mary-Sue in the least. Here's yer rum!  
Rachel: I am NOT a Mary Sue. *glares*  
Me: Get over yerself.  
  
San San As Herself- Aww, I hope ye get better. actually, you probably are better. I just haven't updated in for freakin ever! *looks guilty* Maybe the rum'll make ye feel better!  
  
PepaMynt- *blushes* You are TOO kind! Thanks soo much for the nice review. I'm glad my bribes are working! Here's yer rum, and I'm glad you like the story. And feel free to review again!  
  
emeraldmedallion-Thanks for the review mate! Here's some rum! Now go get drunk! Hehe. And Orlando was awesome!  
  
Well, that's it folks! Keep up with the reviewing! I'll give ye POTC snowglobe thingies! *grins* Or some more rum, whichever ya want.  
  
Until next time,  
  
~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	9. The Pathetically Short Chapter: aka The

**Disclaimer:** See previous chapters because it'll always be the same. I *do not* own Pirates of the Caribbean, savvy? If I did, I wouldn't be writing FF.

~*~*~

_ I was standing on the docks, staring into the grey mist. The silhouette of a ship could be seen slowly approaching the shore. As it drew closer, I recognized it immediately. It was my ship! La Estrella! I ran to the edge in order it get a closer view, the mist clinging to me and trying to hold me back. But I was almost there. My beloved ship drew up alongside the dock's edge, and out of nowhere, a gang plank was lowered, breaking the still silence. Suddenly, my excitement died and was replaced with a new panic. My stomach twisted into knots, and my throat closed up. Gasping for breath, I summoned all of my courage and took a step onto the plank. I stopped and looked warily up at the main deck. Something wasn't right. La Estrella looked the same, but it didn't fell the same. It felt almost surreal. 'Stupid pansy,' I admonished myself. 'It's just yer old ship.'_

But it wasn't. This ship wasn't full of life. As far as I could tell there was no one aboard. But if that was the case, how did the gang plank lower? "It's now or never," I said aloud, hoping it would ease the tension in anxiety that now hung in the mist. Throwing all caution to the wind, I made my way up the board slippery from mist droplets.

I only made it half way.

And then I saw his eyes. The same yellow orbs that had leered at me some two years ago. I couldn't see his face, but I heard his laugh, evil and spiteful and full of hate and malice. I lifted my chin in defiance and reached for my cutlass, deciding I was going to end this now and regain what was rightfully mine. Suddenly the mist grew impenetrable and began to swirl around me. I couldn't see anything but the silver fog. I stood stalk still. If I moved a muscle from left to right I was sure to topple off the plank. I stood this way for an odd five minutes, listening and waiting.

The mist began to lighten, and I breathed a sigh of relief. My ship was still there. But so were the eyes. Now, though, they had multiplied, and there were yellow eyes every where, staring at me and teasing me. And then the laugh came again, starting as a low rumble and then graduating to a roar. "Noooo!" I screamed as the visions of my past flashed before my eyes. Visions of the mutiny, the beating, the raping, seeing my first mate killed before my eyes.

Struggling to get away, I stepped backward off the plank, and fell through the swirling mist. As I waited for the inevitable splash, pain numbing my senses, all went black. 

TBC 

~*~*~ 

**A/N:** It's bloody short. Only like 500 words, mainly because this was a dream. (If ya couldn't tell already.) I thought this was an approriate place to end. My next chapter should come out tomorrow or Sunday, and it shall be longer then this one. I promise! (Today's Friday.) If enough people review I'll publish it tomorrow, savvy? Review responses will also be in tomorrow's chapter. 

And in case y'all didn't notice, I finally figured out HTML! *readers mutter something like 'What a retard.* *TSS remains oblivious* It certainly took me long enough! Well, that's all for now. Ta ta!

Until next time, 

~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	10. Consequences for Dreaming

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, or any of the characters. My only profit is the lovely reviews I get from my wonderful reviewers! ^_^

~*~*~

"Rachel! Rachel wake up!"

'He's there I know it!' I lashed out at the offending voice.

"Dammit!" yelled the voice. And then I heard snickering.

The blackness faded, and the room came into focus. Jack was massaging his nose, while Will was laughing profusely at him. I blinked several times, trying to clear my foggy mind, and sat up. 

Then it dawned on me. "Jack? Did I hit you?" I asked groggily. He shot me an indignant look.

"Square in the nose darlin'. You have a knack for hitting me there," he replied, smiling slightly.

"Oh, sorry," I apologized, feeling a little embarrassed. Pushing an errant braid out of my eyes, I looked at the two of them. Jack was giving me a curious look, and Will had slumped down into the chair that Jack had previously been sleeping in, and was also looking at me. It was starting to unnerve me. I shifted my weight uncomfortably, and cleared my throat. "What?" I demanded gruffly after about three or four minutes of their staring. Will glanced away, but Jack's thoughtful look grew.

"You were thrashing about something fierce, love," he told me. I suddenly felt queasy. "And you were yelling so loud the whole bloody tavern could've heard you."

I couldn't meet his intense gaze, and instead looked at the stained floor. " 'Twas naught but a dream Jack," I sighed. He didn't reply immediately. After a spell, he replied "Some dream."

He knew it wasn't just a dream. If it had been just a dream, I wouldn't have socked him in the nose in my sleep. No, he knew it was something horrible, and more then likely he knew it had to do with my past, which I still hadn't told him. 'Bloody memories,' I thought bitterly.

"What time is it?" Will asked, breaking the heavy silence. His question made me realize the faint light coming through our small window. 

At once, Jack snapped out of his stupor. "Time we get a move on," he answered. I climbed stiffly out of the bed, and we gathered up our things, which weren't many, and prepared to return to the docks.

"Oh, and Rachel, don't look in the basin," Jack whispered in my ear. "Will was feeling the after effects of that rum." I smirked at Will, who, now that Jack mentioned it, did look a bit green. He simply shot us a glare and stalked out of the room.

"Wonder what bug flew up his arse," I wondered out loud.

"Seems normal to me," Jack commented, and we both chuckled at this.

Will was waiting for us in the tavern. It was so early that no one was awake, but I had a feeling there was probably someone in the kitchen. The floor of the bar was littered with passed out drunks, though it looked like the bar maids had made an effort to clean and sweep up the rest of the mess. 'Wouldn't want to be one of those for a living.'

"Want anything to drink?" Jack asked Will in mock seriousness. Will seemed to look even more sick, and shook his head. Jack shrugged. "Your loss. What about you?" he asked me.

I wasn't really in the mood for anything to drink, and I knew it definitely wouldn't help my throbbing headache. "Nay. Too early," I told him.

Jack spread his arms out to emphasize his point. "Pity. You of all people should know it's never too early for rum." I rolled my eyes as he sprang over the bar and grabbed a bottle of the precious elixir.

"Come on," Will growled impatiently. "We've already wasted enough time as it is."

"Don't fret, dear Will. Five minutes isn't going to make any difference in whether or not we rescue dear-" I pretended to search for Elizabeth's name. "Oh dammit. What's her name again?" And I successfully succeeded in irking Will.

His face grew pink with frustration. "It's Elizabeth," he snapped, and stormed out of the tavern.

"Nice," Jack complimented. "Hey! Wait for us!" he called after Will.

It's remarkable how different Tortuga is during the day. It's like everything has been cut in half. Half the chaos, half the whores, half the drunks, half the people in general. It could actually pass as a normal town. There are the usual merchants and traders and common folk that bustled around up and down the roads. There was a surprising amount on the streets for this early hour. 'Probably because most of the drunks are passed out now,' I mused. Will seemed fairly startled at the change in scenery. I laughed when he tripped over an unconscious drunk laying in the middle of the street.

" 'Tis better at night," Jack complained, looking as if he expected one of the many whores to appear right in front of him.

We did, in fact, pass several of them talking in a group. 'A herd of whores,' I thought dryly. They whistled and called to Jack and Will. Of course, Jack winked and grinned back at them, and Will looked determinedly at the ground. I was on the receiving end of some very freezing stares. I quickened my pace to get as far away from them as soon as possible. Unfortunately for me, Jack noticed this.

"If the stories I've heard are indeed true, I find it hard to believe that the captain of La Estrella can beat 10 men single-handedly and yet be afraid of a few prostitutes."

I stopped dead and turned around to look at him. 'What the hell? How does he know about my ship?' "It was five men," I snapped. "And how did you know?"

"Love, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow, savvy?" he drawled.

I fingered the hilt of my cutlass. "I would never have guessed," I replied acidly.

Jack smirked, and brushed past me.. "I saw your tattoo. And it didn't help that you kept saying it in your sleep," he said without turning around. 

'Damn bloody dreams.' I didn't respond, but merely trudged along behind him and Will. "Now that the whole bleedin' world knows," I muttered to myself.

I hadn't really intended to tell him this soon, but he had found out of his own accord. Sure, I corrected people when they didn't call me captain, but that was more habit then anything else. If they hadn't heard of me, why advertise who I really was? It was an embarrassment to have lost my ship anyway. I wasn't worthy to be a captain.

Jack knew he had beaten me. He didn't have to verbally gloat either. It was more in his demeanor, and there was an added flare to his step. 'If that's even possible,' I thought. He wasn't going to let this go. Infuriating man. 

Once out of the confines of the town, the warm sea breeze came full force. 'Glad my hair's in braids.' I loved the breeze. It always had a way to calm my nerves. And they were severely frazzled. The sun was higher in the sky now, and had warmed the air considerably. I pushed my sleeves up, since I didn't really need to conceal my tattoo anymore. The tangy sea air lightened my spirits considerably, and I jogged to catch up with the two men in front of me. 

Jack was humming a sea shanty inaudibly under his breath, and would pause every now and then to take a swig of from his rum bottle.

"Well, I'm glad one of us is in a good mood," Will said irritably. Jack's response was to sing even louder, loud enough for me to recognize the song. "_  
Aft on the poopdeck  
Walking about  
There is the second mate  
So sturdy and so stout  
What he is thinking of  
He only knows himself  
Oh, we wish that he would hurry up  
And strike, strike the bell,_" Jack sang. I picked up the refrain. 

"_Strike the bell, second mate  
Let us go below  
Look away to windward  
You can see it's going to blow  
Look at the glass  
You can see that it is fell  
We wish the you would hurry up  
And strike, strike the bell_ ******," I finished, and trailed off at Jack and Will were both staring at me like I'd grown an extra head. "What?" I inquired indignantly. "I don't sing *that* badly do I?"

They shook their heads dumbly. "You just don't seem the type that would sing," Will explained.

"Actually," Jack began, resuming his usual amused look, "I was just surprised you know that song."

I sighed. "As *you* know," I said, looking at Jack and then to Will, "Every sailor sings." 

"Aye. Even *captains*," Jack added.

I drew my cutlass. "Don't make me hurt you Sparrow. Because I will."

"But you wouldn't."

"Aye, I would. Unfortunately, we need you in order to save what's-her-face." I sheathed my cutlass. "One more time, though, and I swear I will."

Jack just looked amused. "Alright love."

I resisted the urge to strike him. By now, we had reached the dock near where we had anchored the _Interceptor_. There was a line of men waiting for us, and I could make out the shape of Gibbs talking to one of them. As we drew near, it became apparent that they were a sorry lot. One of them looked barely three feet high.

Jack shook hands with Gibbs. "G'day mate," he greeted.

I didn't pay attention to what they were saying. One man in particular caught my eye. He wasn't very tall, and had a hat draped over his eyes. Then I realized he wasn't a man. He was, in fact, a woman. I tried to look under the hat's large brim, but was unable to identify the face. 'Wonder if I know her,' I thought.

My attentions were drawn back to Will, Jack, and Gibbs. "*This* is your able- bodied crew?" Will asked in disbelief.

Smiling, I said " 'twould appear so wouldn't it?"

Jack, however, ignored us, seemingly in hope that the midget would magically grow and the rest of them would magically become ten years younger and a hell of a lot more formidable looking. 

He decided to pick on one of them. He was an older man with a bright blue and yellow parrot perched on his shoulder. 'Poor soul,' I thought. 'He won't know what hit 'em after Jack gets through with 'em.'

"You, sailor!" Jack barked.

"Cotton, sir," Gibbs provided.

"Mr. CottonÉ do you have the courage and fortitude to follow orders and stay true in the face of danger and almost certain death?" Jack questioned, trying to look authoritative. Cotton didn't respond, but continued staring expressionlessly at Jack. "Mr. Cotton ! Answer, man!"

Still no answer.

"He's a mute, sir," Gibbs put it. At this I began snickering uncontrollably. Both Gibbs and Cotton glared at me. I attempted to stifle them. "Poor devil had his tongue cut out, so he trained the parrot to talk for him. No one's yet figured how," Gibbs continued.

Jack looked slightly shocked, but of course, didn't have the grace to look embarrassed. Seemingly disgruntled, Jack looked at the parrot. "Mr. Cotton 's... parrot. Same question."

"Wind in the sails! Wind in the sails!" the parrot squawked.

"Does that mean yes?" I teased in mock seriousness. Gibbs nodded.

"O'course it does. Satisfied?" Jack asked us.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Doesn't matter to me as long as we get off this rock as soon as possible," I answered.

"You've definitely proved their mad," Will snipped. (A/N: I know that wasn't a direct quote from the movie.)

"And what's the benefit for us?" a feminine voice demanded. I spun around to see that the woman had spoken, though she still had her hat over her eyes. Jack, being the daft idiot that he is, crept over to her, tried to peer under the brim to look at her face, and then pulled the hat off her head, revealing a dark skinned woman with long black hair. She didn't look too happy with Jack. The scalding look she gave him made me cringe.

"Anamaria!" Jack exclaimed in recognition and forced enthusiasm.

She slapped him.

"Nice!" I praised her. She smiled slightly at me. "I'm sure ye deserved it too," I said to Jack. 

"Aye, that one I deserved," he replied. His head back in it's normal position, he looked at Anamaria.

"You stole my boat," Anamaria growled, her voice deadly.

"You did what?!" I exclaimed, horrified that he would do such a thing. Anamaria nodded.

"Actually-" he was cut off by another slap, this time made by me. "Bloody hell! What was that for?" 

"**Never**, I repeat, never steal a woman's boat," I snapped, quite angry at how low he would stoop. 'He *is* a pirate,' I thought. "I'd probably do the same thing in his position.' But it was too much fun teasing Jack.

"Actually, I borrowed it. Borrowed without permission. But with every intention of bringing it back to her."

"But you didn't!" Anamaria hissed savagely.

"You'll get another one," Jack promised, trying to soothe her.

Anamaria pointed her finger in his face. "I will."

"A better one," Will added, obviously quite fearful of the enraged women before him.

"A better one!" Jack said quickly.

"That one!" I announced, pointing at the _Interceptor_. Jack stared at me like I was crazy. "What the hell! Are you mad woman? That one?!" When Anamaria and I raised our arms threateningly, he quickly agreed. "Aye, that one! What say you?"

"Aye!" the whole crew answered, me included. Everyone began to make for the ship save me, Jack, Will, and Gibbs.

"No, no, no, no, no, it's frightful bad luck to bring a woman aboard, sir. Even worse to have two," Gibbs warned. I rolled my eyes at his ignorance.

"It'd be far worse not to have them," Jack responded, looking up at the sky.

"Damn right," I growled so vehemently that Gibbs took an involuntary step backwards. Smirking, I strode confidently back to the ship, with the other three following suit.

**TBC**

~*~*~

******A sea shanty called 'Strike the Bell'.

**A/N:** I'm a bloody forking liar! I'm soo sorry everyone! I was supposed to have this chapter out a week ago! Goddamn school...*growls* I hope y'all will forgive me!  
Everything's been so hectic lately. My first volleyball tournament is tomorrow. I hope we win! *waves around pompoms* *feels stupid* Ok, so maybe I wouldn't make the best cheerleader in the world...

**BlackHearte11**- yay! You read this story! *does happy dance* I'm soo glad you like this! Now, if'n ya need any help in kidnapping Johnny, just say the word and I'm there! *evil smirk*

**chibichibi386**- Thankies for the review matey! Your story is good. Email me about that beta thing.

**Jessi Lupin**- Hi! Thanks for the review! And I'm glad to see that you've found a new obsession other than the Marauders! But you better not abandon your HP fics. I take it that Sessie lives in your head now?

**San San As Herself**- You always write such encouraging reviews! And you've reviewed for every chapter since chapter one! _And_, you were my very first reviewer! *beams*

**PepaMynt**- Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the other story, but I prob won't post it cuz I have some parody ideas in mind!

**DaydreamBeliever14**- Glad you liked that story! But I have an even better idea up my sleeve that isn't so serious as that one! *laughs maniacally while lightning strikes in the background*  
Rachel and Jack and Will: O.o  
Me: Mwahhahaha.... :D

**emeraldmedallion**- Seeing as how you are the only person who responded to the beta reader thing, I guess you get to be it! Congrats!  
Jack: Drinks all around!  
Rachel: yay! *runs off to get the rum*  
Will: *looks ill*  
Me: WOOT!

That's all for now folks! I have no honest idea when the next update will be. Hopefully it won't take *too* long....

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~

*goes off to plan her upcoming possible parody which is currently still a daydream* 


	11. A Prank

**Disclaimer:** As y'all know already, I don't own PotC. Nor do I own LotR. I wish I did. *imagines things she could do to Jack and Aragorn* ^_^

~*~*~

After a few barked orders from Jack, we finally set sail for Tortuga. The wind was with us, and it made me appreciate the great speed of the _Interceptor_. And if what Jack says about the _Black Pearl_ is true, if it is faster than this ship, there is no hope of us catching up with Barbossa and his crew in time to save Elizabeth. Will doesn't seem to have realized this yet, and as much as I dislike him, I don't want to squash the lad's hope. I shudder at the thought of a moping Will.

Once we were out of the safety of the cove of Tortuga, there wasn't much to do. The wind was blowing us in the right course, and we had no need to steer. This left me feeling quite useless, so I decided to go below and see what the sleeping arrangements were.

"I get that hammock or I'll cut out somethin' worse than your tongue!" I heard an enraged and clearly agitated Anamaria yell. I hurried down the stairs, and the scene that greeted my eyes made me smile. It appeared as if Cotton and Anamaria wanted the same bed.

Cotton shot me a helpless look, which I returned with a smirk and a wink. He sighed and moved his bedroll to another one of the hanging hammocks. Anamaria turned to speak to me.

"They'll learn sooner or later that I always get my way," she said, giving me a thin smile.

"Aye. Apparently Jack hasn't figured that out yet," I replied with a grin of my own.

At the mention of Jack's name, her smile faded. "No, he clearly hasn't," she said softly. I obviously had breeched a sensitive subject. 

"For what it's worth, Jack gets on my nerves too," I offered. She looked nonplused. "Though, Will *grates* on them," I added.

She smiled at that. "I didn't meet Will."

"Trust me. You don't want to." I sat down on an empty hammock. "He's the reason for this whole mission." 'Well, almost the whole reason, besides Jack's personal gain,' I thought bitterly.

"He can't be that bad, can he?" Anamaria asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

I simply smirked.

She looked disbelieving. "Nobody is worse than Jack Sparrow."

"That would be Captain Jack Sparrow, love." We both whirled around to see Jack standing beside us. I hadn't heard him walk up.

"Aye, *Captain*," Anamaria growled, looking as if she wanted to hurt him.

I simply glared at him.

"I sense a bit of tension between us," Jack remarked, studying his fingers arrogantly. When he didn't say anything else, I let out a huff. He grinned at me. "Was there something you wanted to say, darlin'?" he asked innocently. "Or should I say, Captain?"

I stared at him. 'That is so not fair.' Anamaria gave me a questioning look, and Jack simply tipped his hat at me. "Well, since the two of you do not have much to say, I'll just be on my merry way. Ta!" And he strolled out of the room, leaving a very confused Anamaria and a very upset *Captain* Rachel Harris gaping at his retreating back.

"I'm going to murder him," I growled, after an uncomfortable silence.

"What exactly did he mean by Captain?" Anamaria inquired.

I knew I shouldn't tell her, at least not then anyway. She would probably find out in due time. I couldn't trust her, as much as I wanted. I had only known she existed for a few hours. 'Pirates indeed live a sad life,' I thought bitterly. It was true. There was no one for me to trust, and as a pirate I was on my own. I had to take care of myself to survive. That was how it always had been, and it wasn't going to change.

I shrugged. 

Anamaria just gave me a knowing look. "I'll help ye get back at him. We'll put him through hell and he'll regret everything he ever did to us by the time we get through with him," she stated. "What say you?"

I didn't even need to think about how I was going to answer that. "Aye!" We exchanged malicious grins. "And now, I do believe Mr. Sparrow is waiting for us."

We climbed the stairs up to the main deck, plotting our revenge quietly.

~*~*~

"There are several possible things we could do," I began. Jack had assigned Anamaria, Will, and I the job of swabbing the deck. Swabbing is the worst job you can give someone. It's extremely monotonous and not to mention tedious and back-breaking. I scrubbed at a particularly stubborn stain. "Most of them requiring rum."

Will blanched at my last statement, and Anamaria looked questioning. "Rum?" she asked. 

"Aye, rum. But I only have a bottle that I managed to smuggle out of the bar," I said. I looked at Will. "And I wouldn't expect you to have any," I said to him. I looked up towards the helm, where Jack was standing, proudly steering the ship. I lowered my voice to a whisper. "There's no telling how much rum he has to consume before he becomes drunk."

Anamaria nodded. "I've about two bottles I brought with me, but I'm not sure I want to waste it on Jack."

"It won't be wasted if the plan works."

"What is this plan exactly?" asked Will. I shot him a look. "What? I'm in on this too you know."

I nodded. "Aye, the more the merrier." I smirked at Jack's back.

"There's bound to be more rum in the captain's quarters, and knowing Jack he probably has some of his own there," Anamaria added.

"Maybe. If there is, are you two in on it? I can't do it alone."

"Sure."

"Aye."

"Good," I acknowledged, and leaned in to tell them my plan.

~*~*~

"Where'd you find all this?" Jack asked, making a sweeping motion towards the stash of rum we had collected.

"Oh, here and there," I replied with a fake smile. He nodded. 

"Well, what are ya waiting for? Drink up!" Anamaria ordered, and the two of us gave him expectant looks. Will had decided to remain out of sight for this part of the plan.

Jack gave us a suspicious look. "Ye didn't poison it, did ya?" he asked, glancing dubiously at the rum.

I rolled my eyes. "No, we didn't poison it. Why would we do a thing like that?" I asked. Anamaria struggled to keep her expression neutral, and I was trying hard not to laugh.

Jack uncorked one of the bottles, and sniffed it. Satisfied that it didn't smell suspicious, he took a swig.

"Well?" Anamaria asked.

Jack savored the taste for a minute, then nodded. "Aye, that'll about do it. Thankies ladies." And he tipped his hat to us.

Anamaria and I stood there for a minute looking unsure of ourselves. Anamaria coughed and cleared her throat. Jack sighed and gave us an annoyed look. "What?" he asked. Anamaria and I exchanged a look. Jack sighed again. "Fine, you can have some too, seeing as how ya found it." 

And so we drank. Actually, Jack drinken, we just pretended to. It was steadily growing dark outside, and Gibbs was on deck holding the ship steady on its course. Pretty soon, the sun had disappeared completely, and the stars had come out. The moon was full and so there was no need to light any of the torches.

After Jack had consumed a bottle and a half of the rum, he finally began to show signs of tipsy-ness. After two and a half, he was ranting on about what he was going to do to Barbossa once he found him. Anamaria and I just played along with him.

"Is he ever going to pass out?" Anamaria hissed in my ear. I shrugged and took another small sip of my rum.

By the time Will came down to see our progress, Jack had drank about five bottles and was very near passing out.

"Ah, Wi-Will, care too have some of this, this..." Jack squinted at the bottle looking at a loss of words. "Ruuuuuum!" he slurred triumphantly. I suppressed a giggle.

Will raised an eyebrow at Jack, who was humming to himself and hugging the rum bottle protectively. "I say we have a toast!" I exclaimed desperately, because Jack wasn't drinking any more rum.

"Yes, a toast!" Anamaria agreed. We both looked at Will, who grudgingly agreed. I tossed him a bottle, and we raised them.

"To rum!" Jack exclaimed.

"To rum!" Will, Anamaria, and I repeated. And we all took a long draw. The rum burned my throat, but left me feeling quite good. 'Uh oh. Not good. Can't be getting drunk now,' I thought. I set the bottle on the table, and looked up to see Jack still eagerly gulping down the rum. Once his bottle was drained, he grinned at us. "He still hasn't passed out!" Anamaria exclaimed. Jack gave her a confused look, and then fell out of his chair. I rushed over to him to see that he had, in fact, passed out.

"Finally," I muttered and then turned to look at Anamaria and Will. "Ana, get the rope. Will, help me get him above deck." Anamaria nodded and hurried down to the hold of the ship. "Alright, help me lift him," I said to Will. I grabbed Jack's ankles, and Will grabbed his arms, and we lifted him off the floor and hauled him up to the deck.

"He's heavy," Will complained once we set him down.

"He's lighter than you," I told him, trying to keep a straight face. At Will' affronted look, I burst out laughing. Will simply scowled. Anamaria appeared with the rope.

"Here," she said. "I hope we have enough."

"We should," I responded, and we set to work.

I looped a rope over my shoulder, and climbed up the rigging, where Will threw a rope up to me, which I passed through one of the holes in the rigging, and dropped back down to them. Anamaria then tied one end of the rope around Jack's waist. Once she had finished, Will hauled on the other end of the rope, causing Jack to lift up into the air. Once he got to where I was, I quickly bound his wrists and ankles to the rigging with the rope that I had looped around my shoulder. Giving, Will and Anamaria a wave, I scurried back down, leaving Jack tied up in the rigging.(A/N: If you understood anything of what was just written, you get a cookie. A really *big* cookie. ^_^)

Once I had my feet firmly on the wooden deck, Anamaria said, "I hope he falls."

I snorted. "If he falls, then who would we have to harass?" I asked.

"Him," Anamaria laughed, pointing at Will.

"I resent that," Will muttered.

I then noticed that the crew on night shift had assembled around us and were staring up at their captain stranded up in the rigging.

I shot Anamaria a smirk, and then turned to he rest of the crew. "What're ye looking at ye mangy dogs!" I shouted at them. "I'm in charge for the time being, seeing as how the captain is currently...indisposed. Back to work!" Some grumbled, and some just looked amused.

"We are going to be in so much trouble when he wakes up," Will said finally.

I just smiled coyly at him, and strode off towards the helm. "Step aside Mr. Gibbs," I said. "It's my turn to steer." 

"Thanks. I was getting stiff standing there," and he wandered off, probably to get some sleep.

I stood serenely at the wheel, the wind blowing and cooling my face. It had been a long time since I had last held the power of a ship in my hand. I stroked the worn wood lovingly. The _Interceptor_ reminded me so much of _La Estrella_. It was then that I vowed to get my ship back, whether it cost me my life or not.

~*~*~

"BLOODY HELL!!!"

I winced. Jack had obviously just awoken. "RACHEL! ANAMARIA! I KNOW IT WAS YOU! GET ME DOWN!" I snickered quietly, and turned around to wave at a very furious looking Captain Jack Sparrow.

"Good morning, Cap'n!" I shouted sunnily back at him. "Lovely morning isn't it?"

"RACHEL! GET THE HELL OVER HERE!"

"Now Jack, that's not very nice language."

"IT'S **CAPTAIN** JACK TO YOU MISSY!"

Sighing in mock exasperation, I handed the wheel to Gibbs, and walked over to cut Jack down from the rigging. "Where's Ana?" I asked Will, who was watching the whole scenario with extreme amusement. He shrugged.

"I'm right here," Anamaria announced, coming up on deck. "I heard the captain was awake." Jack glared furiously at us.

"Shall I cut him down?" I asked her. She pretended to think my question over.

"I guess you should. It would be a shame to lose one like him due to extreme wind burn and sun burn."

"Or, we could leave him up there a while to think over his treatment of us."

Anamaria looked up at Jack, who did not look amused by our little conversation. "How does it feel, Captain?" she asked. "Not very much fun is it?"

"Alright, alright. You win. No more deck swabbin' for the two of ya," Jack replied, looking extremely desperate to get down.

"What about me?" Will demanded indignantly.

"You don't count," I answered, giving him my most charming smile.

"I helped with this just as much as you did!" Will exclaimed, drawing his sword.

"Put it away, son. I was only kidding," I said, not really in the mood to beat Will in a sword fight. Will sheathed his sword, albeit reluctantly. Satisfied that he wasn't going to do anything stupid, I climbed up the rigging to untie Jack.

When I reached him, he seemed to be in a somewhat better mood. "Well, ya beat me," he admitted. "But it's not going to happen again, I can assure you."

I pulled my dagger out of my boot, and began to saw at the ropes. "I think we're tied now, one to one," I replied evenly. I looked up at him, and our eyes met.

"Not for long," Jack said, a mischievous glint to his.

I finished my work in silence, and we climbed down, Jack going first. He rubbed his wrists where the rope had cut him. 

"Need any salve for that?" I asked, trying to be somewhat helpful.

"Nay, I'm fine. Well, as fine as I can be to wake up in the rigging with a hangover only to see a woman steering my ship."

"I thought we agreed it was *my* ship," I responded.

Jack opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Anamaria. "Actually, it's **my **ship," she stated, giving us both a challenging look, her fingers playing with the hilt of her cutlass.

"Right, love, your ship," Jack agreed hurriedly. I nodded. I definitely didn't want to get on Anamaria's bad side. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ship to captain," Jack said, and headed back to the helm.

~*~*~

Later that night, dark storm clouds came up out of nowhere. The ship bucked and thrashed, and the waves poured over the sides, trying to throw us overboard. We had all been told to hold the sails down; Jack was convinced that the ship would hold. He'd also told me to watch Will and make sure that he didn't drown. I reluctantly agreed and made it clear that he owed me big time after this.

Another wave came crashing down on us, and I slipped on the slick wood. Staggering to my feet, I heard Will ask, "How can we sail to an island that nobody can find with a compass that doesn't work?"

I could barely hear him over the roar of the wind and the breaking of the waves. As loudly as I could, I yelled back, "Isn't it obvious? We're not trying to find north!" 

"Oh," Will shouted back.

'He is *such* an idiot,' I thought, and rolled my eyes.

"Jack! We can't hold much longer!" I called up to the egotistical captain.

He couldn't turn around to answer, the wheel was fighting him too hard. "She can hold a bit longer!" he called over his back.

My arms were burning from the exertion. "Why can't we drop canvas?! My arms can't take much more of this!" I told him, the screeching of the wind trying to drown out my voice.

He turned his head to look at me, his hair whipping in the wind and a fanatical gleam in his eye. "We're catching up."

His words gave me some encouragement, and the burning seemed to diminish. "This better be worth it," I growled under my breath, and wrestled with a piece of rope that had blown loose.

TBC

~*~*~

A/N: I'm sooo forking sorry for the delay peeps! But it was a nice *long* chapter to make up for it! About 2,800 words not counting my disclaimer or A/N. *looks proud* And I wanted to thank those of you who wished me luck in my volleyball tournament. We got second out of 7! WOOT! Alrighty, now 'tis time for review responses!

**San San As Herself**- Thanks for the review!

**pirate**- Aww, thanks for the review! I'm so glad you like this! Jack and Rachel and Will are glad too!  
Rachel: Ye were talking 'bout me! What'd ye say?  
Me: Shuddup and go back to the story.  
Rachel: *looks offended but leaves anyway*

**Bianca**- Sorry ya can't read my other story, but this one is just as good! If not better!

**Jessi Lupin**- You are insane. *nods* And you'd **better** continue your HP fics!

**chibichibi386** Thankies for the review luv! And thanks for wishing me luck in the tournament. We needed it. ^_^

**katesparrow**- Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews! They made me happy! Although, my story doesn't even begin to compare to yours. Hehe. ^_^ Rachel should meet Kate sometime.  
Rachel: Who the hell is Kate? And why do you keep talking about me?!  
Me: Go back to the story Rachel!!!  
Rachel: *glares* You can't make me!  
Me: Oh yes I can. I created you! *lightning flashes in the background* Mwhahahahaha!  
Rachel: O.o Meep! *runs back to the story* Me: Anywho, my goal is still to watch Once Upon A Time In Mexico, but Movie Gallery refuses to let me. Maybe I should go to Hollywood Video. ^_^

**CaptainJacklova4eva**- Thanks for the criticism. I definitely need it!*nods* I think I did a better job in not following the movie so closely  
Rachel and Jack: She deserves all of the criticism. She tortures us!  
Will: No. She tortures me!  
Rachel: Actually, *I* torture you, not her.  
Will: Oh.  
Rachel and Jack: *roll eyes* Retard.

**I lOvE cHeRrIeS yUm**- Thanks!

**Lauren**- Aww, shucks. You're so nice! And I'm very glad I'm writing Jack well. He's a tough one to write.

And last but not least(because she's my beta!) **emeraldmedallion**- Yes, you're beta! and thanks for the review!

Well, folks, that's all! And I have 9 different reviewers for the last chapter! 2 of them are new, and katesparrow reviewed multiple times! Thankies kate! Which reminds me. All of my readers need to go read her story, Pandora's Box. It is the greatest! It makes mine look like a piece of crap. *nods* Oh, and review for it too. That's all for now! Oh fork, I forgot something else. Check out my new PotC story, _POTC:Curse of the Tourist Trap! aka Orlando, FL_. I think it's pretty good. But I won't know 'til y'all review! Ta for now!

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~

** Review on your way out!**


	12. Mixed Feelings

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Wait, strike that. I own the $20 I won off a slot machine. *thinks for a minute* Nevermind. I'm under age. Technically the money shouldn't count. Damn it.

~*~*~

Naturally, after the storm had cleared, we reached the Isla de Muerta. The island itself was shrouded in mist, and fog swirled around us. Steam rose off the water, and a glance overboard revealed some fearsome-looking sharks. I shivered reflexively at the sight of the rotting skeletons on the rock ledges. Adding to the effect was the floating wood, a definite sign that this was a ship graveyard. The whole scene vaguely reminded me of my dream from the previous night.

"Dead men tell no tales," I heard a creaky voice grate. Identifying it as Cotton's parrot, I was about to say something rude to the offending bird, when the complete silence struck me. No one was saying a word. All that could be heard was the groan and creak of the ship as it slowly forged its way through the water. Sighing, I reigned in the comment and kept my mouth shut.

It appeared as if we had made it past the worst of the wreckage, and the crew prepared to weigh anchor. Nervous chatter could be heard. 'It's amazing what nerves can do to someone,' I thought philosophically. Anamaria was actually babbling away to one of the crew members, whose name I didn't know. Among the whispering conversations, I heard Will and Gibbs talking about Jack. Gibbs was speaking, "Not a lot's known about Jack Sparrow before he showed up in Tortuga with a mind to go after the treasure of the Isla de Muerta . That was before I met him, back when he was Captain of the Black Pearl." I sidled closer so I could hear all that was being said. 

"What? He failed to mention that," Will replied, looking slightly taken aback. 'Trust the lad to be the last one with the news.' I sighed wearily. He wasn't the sharpest cutlass in shop.

Gibbs proceeded to explain to Will about the mutiny, and soon launched into an explanation about how Jack escaped from the island he was marooned on. It was an interesting rendition, though highly unlikely. Involved something about sea turtles and rafts. "What did he use for rope?" I asked, sending Gibbs one of my trademark smirks. He looked at a loss for words.

"Human hair. From my back."

I instantly recognized the voice as Jack's. I turned around slowly to look at him. "That's an interesting version," I snipped. "But the question, once again, is how did you _really_ get off that island?" I knew full well that he wouldn't tell me.

"Wouldn't you like to know," he shot back. "Let go of the anchor!" he called to one of the crew members. He turned back to us. "Young Mr. Turner and I are to go ashore." He started to walk away. I cleared my throat noisily. He turned on his heel slowly so that he was facing me. "Yes?"

"I'm going too."

"No, love, not this time."

I felt anger rising inside me. "Why the hell not?" I demanded, struggling not to lose my already short temper.

In a low voice that only I could understand, he whispered, "Someone has to make sure the crew stays loyal." He grinned. "And I know you'll keep them in line."

I glared at him. I had a feeling my eyes had a dangerous glint to them that only appeared when I was really angry or upset. "Jack, if you know what's good for ye, you'll let me go," I growled, my voice low. 

"And if you know what's good for *ye*, then you'll obey your captain, savvy?"

I glared furiously at him. I opened my mouth but closed it again. He had me there. 'Damned code,' I thought viciously. "You'll regret this decision," I finished, and stalked away angrily.

~*~*~

Twenty minutes later, I reappeared on deck. My fury had been replaced with an uncharacteristic worry. I sought out Anamaria. She was sitting on a crate cleaning her fingernails with a dagger. I pulled up another of the wooden boxes and sunk down beside her.

"You seem stressed."

I looked at Anamaria. She hadn't even taken her eyes off of her work. "Of course I'm stressed," I replied defensively. "I'm on an unfamiliar Navy ship that's captained by a lunatic, who, despite all the help I've given him, refuses to let me accompany him on the main part of the whole bloody escapade!" I said all of this in one breath, and added a string of curses. 

"You're worried." 

I stared at her. 'I'm not worried, damn it! Just pissed off,' I thought. Deep down I knew I was in serious denial. "No, I'm not," I retorted.

She chuckled quietly to herself. "Whatever you say."

I bolted off the bench and stormed off to the helm. I grabbed the wheel, the smooth, worn wood giving me a kind of comfort. After calming my nerves, I returned to where Anamaria was sitting. She was now whittling away at a piece of drift wood. "Better?" she asked.

I nodded.

"Great." She tossed me a potato. 

"Where'd that come from?" 

"My pocket, but that doesn't matter. Peel this, it'll help." 

For lack of anything better to do, I took out my knife and worked away at the potato until the skin was off. Pretty soon, I had chopped the whole vegetable into little bits. Now all I had left was a mutilated potato. 'Peachy fucking keen,' I thought irritably and stood up and began to pace. After about ten minute of this Anamaria spoke again. 

"You care about him don't you?"

I froze.

"I think you do."

Silence. I turned slowly. 

Anamaria gave me a placid look. I wanted to shoot her. I resisted the urge to draw my pistol, and instead said, "Don't even go there." I stalked off down to the galley.

It was void of any crew members. "Thank God." I searched around for more potatoes. It seemed that Anamaria had started a bad habit.

I rationed myself twenty large potatoes, and in a matter of minutes they had been hacked and whittled away to nothing. 'I can't waste anymore.' I went above deck, and leaned against the railing, and stared blankly towards the mouth of the cave. 

~*~*~

Some time later, I saw a one of the row boats aproaching. As it drew nearer, I saw clearly that it held two people. One rowed, and the other was throwing things overboard. After looking closely, I saw that the things were oars. 'Well, at least they did something right.'

Gibbs and Cotton helped raise them onto the deck, and I strolled over. Preparing to give Jack and Will a piece of my mind, the words died on my lips when I realized Jack wasn't there. Instead, a woman, whom I presumed to be Elizabeth, was in Jack's place. "Not more pirates," she wailed, giving us a suspicious look. I smiled as politely as possible at her, then gave Will a venemous look.

"Where's Jack?" I demanded. Will looked vexed. 

"He fell behind," he stated simply, and led Elizabeth away. 

I felt numb at first. 'Fell behind?' I thought dumbly. The numbness soon changed into suspicion. Jack wouldn't be captured or killed so easily. Something wasn't right. 'Someone needs to go back and save him.' I considered this for a while, and then threw the thought away. 'Sure as hell isn't going to be me. 'sides, I have the ship all to me onesies now.' I knew how horrible this state of mind was, but I was a pirate; I certainly wasn't going to risk my neck for someone else. 

Heaving one last sigh, I turned toward the crew, who was watching me expectantly. "Keep to the code," I announced gruffly and gave a nod toward Anamaria. 

"Weigh anchor! Hoist the sails! Make quickly, divvies!" she commanded the crew sharply. Gibbs muttered something about female captains being bad luck. I took the helm, and we slipped out of the cove, and after careful navigation, we were soon on the open sea.

TBC

~*~*~

A/N: Hi everyone! What's shakin bacon? Hehe. This chapter is pretty short, but necessary. It gives you an insight to how Rachel feels about Jack and the whole scenario. I figure there's about four or five chapter left in this, but there should be a sequel if I get enough requests. Oh, and everyone go out and read katesparrow's _Pandora's Box_. It kicks major ass. *grins* The main character in that story is a lot like Rachel. ^_^ Now onto review replies!

**katesparrow**- What's up my homefry? Lol. I seem to be into food right now. Hmmm....Oh well. Thanks so much for the reviews! And the compliments!  
Jack: Why would anyone compliment you?  
Me: Haven't we been through this before?   
Jack: *shrugs*  
Me: Be nice, or I'll sic Rachel, Kate, and fangirls on you! Mwahaha! Feel my wrath!  
Rachel: Just say the word, and I'm there! *grins wickedly at Jack*  
Me: Anywho, I can't wait for your next update! And for your HP story! ta! 

**Jessi Lupin**- You get a cookie for understanding last chapter! Thanks for the review. I'm glad you still like this story. I'm waiting impatiently for you to update your story. I updated my HP story, you'd better update yours, savvy? ^_^ Ta! Oh, and here's your cookie. *hands Jessi a big chocolate macadamia nut cookie*

**chibichibi386**- Yes, poor Jack. He deserves it though! Thanks for the reviews! And I had a great time in Vegas!

**BlackHearte11**- NO! Don't throw yourself overboard! I would miss you! Hehe. You'd better share Johnny with me!  
Johnny: Not two of them!  
Me: *smirks* Anywho, your new story is great! I can't wait for more!

That's all for now! Remember to **REVIEW**!!! They make me write faster, savvy? All of those silent readers out there, please review! Let's see if we can get to 70! Y'all can do it!

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	13. Will the Retard Who Ruins Nonexistent Pl

**Disclaimer:**It's really starting to get to me- this whole disclaimer thing. I mean, obviously, if I owned PotC I would be really rich, which I'm not. But I *do* own the DVD! yay! And all of my Johnny Depp and Jack Sparrow pics! more yayness! *winks*

Oh, and italics= flashback, savvy?

~*~*~

Will and Elizabeth were down in the hold for a while. In the meantime, I had been steering the ship with detached interest. I really wasn't in the mood for doing anything. 'I have a ship to myself!' I thought, trying to be cheerful. It was to no avail. I still felt like shit. Naturally, the next question that popped into my head was 'What the hell is wrong with me?' I had never acted like this before. For me, it was a law never to show my emotions, and here they were plain as day so that everyone could read them like an open book.

"Bloody feelings," I grumbled under my breath. Hearing a bang accompanied my a sniff, I turned to behold a very annoyed looking Elizabeth. She was standing impatiently behind me. Raising an eyebrow, I asked her, "May I help you?" It was all I could do to remain civil. Having my thoughts interrupted irritated me.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you," she answered, looking slightly surprised that I had spoken.

I sighed. "Normally I consider door-slamming, followed by disconcerting noises, and then someone standing behind me and staring at my back, to be kinda disturbing."

"Such a large vocabulary for a pirate," she snipped and eyed me with great distaste.

"Miss Swann, kindly inform me if I've done anything to offend you. If I not, then get the hell out of my sight."

She now looked slightly apologetic. "It was something Will said."

"Ah, well, your dear Will doesn't have a way with words." I smiled slightly at the thought of the extremely naive blacksmith. I made a mental note to give him a hard time about this. 

"I suppose it's partly my fault," she continued.

I interrupted her quickly. "As fascinating as this may seem to you, it is of little interest to me. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll just be getting back to steering my ship." I turned back and replaced my grip on the wheel.

"Well!" she sniffed incredulously, and huffed off. 

I hummed a ditty under my breath, and kept the _Interceptor_ on its path with automatic corrections of the wheel. The time slipped by as I marveled at the ship's speed, and the speed of ships in general. Gradually, my mind wandered away from the topic of Sparrow, and into the world I had created as a refuge from all of my miseries.

_"You didn't think you'd really make it as a Captain, did you?" John asked. He laughed sadistically._

I gritted my teeth and didn't answer. If my arms and legs weren't bound to the chair I would've killed him.

He ambled over, and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. "I asked you a question, now I expect an answer."

I stared defiantly at him. My wrists hurt like hell from the chafing of the rope.

John made a tisking noise. "You leave me no choice." He slapped me across the face. Hard. "Now, answer me." 

"You really don't scare me," I simpered, trying to act as if his slap hadn't hurt. 

Obviously this wasn't the answer he was expecting. He threw me a punch that sent my head reeling. Blinking away stars, I felt blood dripping from my nose. "The only reason I didn't make it as a captain is because of people like you," I snarled once I was able to focus. "I should've seen it coming," I muttered to myself. 

He seemed somewhat entertained by my answer. "Kayla seemed to think you were captain-material. Look where it got her." 

That did it. "Don't you dare talk about her!" I screeched, and threw all my weight forward and bowled him over. For a moment, he was pinned under me, but he soon righted himself, leaving me flipped over backward in the chair. He looked really pissed. 

"I was going to kill you the easy way, but not anymore." 

I smiled darkly at the nice shiner I had given him. 'Bloody deserves it,' I thought savagely. Strangely enough, I wasn't afraid of dying. 

John rubbed his black eye gingerly. "Any last words? Any pleas for mercy?"

I spit on him. 

"Well then. Have it your way." He picked up the candlestick holder, and whacked me in the head with it. All went black. 

"Oh shit," I cursed when I had awoken from my involuntary flashback. Gibbs had informed me off the ship that was following us. I twisted around so I could see it. Appearing to be the _Pearl_, it was about an hour behind us. 

"How did it catch up so fast?" I asked incredulously. Gibbs shook his head.

The crew was in a tizzy. Everyone was dashing about in a chaotic state. 'This won't do,' I thought. Handing the wheel to Gibbs, I walked out onto the main deck. "Everyone freeze!" I bellowed at the top of my lungs. It took a few seconds, but eventually everybody stopped what they were doing. I noticed that Will had emerged from the hold and was standing next to Elizabeth. "Now, ye all know that running around like a bunch of frightened maids isn't going to get us anywhere. We need a plan of action." My statement was followed by a thoughtful silence.

Elizabeth broke it. "How can they catch us? This is the fastest ship in the Caribbean!"

Everyone, Will included, stared at her in shock. I rolled my eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. "You can tell them that after they've caught us," Anamaria growled. 

Elizabeth looked affronted, but otherwise ignored her. "We're shallow on the draft right?" she asked. 'What is she getting at?' I wondered. I nodded in reply. 

"Well, then can't we lose them amongst those shoals?"

I smile crept to my face, and I mentally berated myself for not thinking of it sooner. "Aye, we could. The _Black Pearl_ is a much heavier ship in the water than this one." To the crew I called, "Lighten the ship, stem to stern! Throw anything unnecessary overboard."

"I always like a good chase," I said to Anamaria. She and Gibbs joined the rest of the crew in lightening the ship. I made sure the ship was heading toward the shoals, then turned to watch the _Pearl_. It was a good thing I had too. Barely visible, I saw tiny oars sticking out of the sides. "Dammit!" I swore. 'Should've known.'

Will noticed too. "We have to fight!" he yelled up to me. 

"I realize that!" I snapped back, glaring angrily at him. Of course, it wasn't his fault. "Load the guns!"

"With what?" one of the crew members demanded. 

"Anything! Everything! Anything we have left," Will said desperately. So the pirates set to work finding anything they could find. Cutlery, whatever leftover cannonballs, and other miscellaneous items.

"The Pearl is going to luff up on our port quarter. She'll rake us without ever presenting a target!" Gibbs called from his vantage point. 

'Maybe we can take her by surprise. We can't outrun her, nor can we give her an easy advantage.' "Lower the anchor on the starboard side!" I commanded. Gibbs and Anamaria gave me an odd look, but Elizabeth understood exactly. 

"On the right side!" she yelled.

"This way we'll surprise them," I explained, chancing a backwards glance at the _Pearl_. She was steadily gaining on us, and was almost within firing range.

The ship shuddered and the bucked when the anchor was dropped, and I quickly let go off the wheel. We came to a hard stop and practically about-faced. The _Pearl_ was so close now that I could hear Barbossa shouting orders.

"Keep steady now," Will called. We waited for the opportune moment. 

"Now!" I shouted. 

"Fire!" I heard Barbossa yell from the other ship.

The ship shivered from the recoil of the cannon. 'Well, there's the warning shot.' "Fire all!" I howled.

From there chaos broke out. The air rung with the sound of cannon and musket fire. Shrapnel and bullets whizzed by. "This isn't going to work," I heard a despondent Anamaria say. 

"Aye, we need a few more ideas Captain," Gibbs said, looking at me expectantly.

"Sorry, mates. Fresh out of ideas." I ducked a bullet that flew past my ear. 

"We'll give him her!" Anamaria exclaimed, holding her gun barrel to Elizabeth's head. 

"She's not what they're after," Will stated. Elizabeth placed a hand to her throat. 

"The medallion!" she gasped. I swore under my breath. 'Stupid twit.' Will rushed away to find it.

It was then that I heard Barbossa give the order to board. "It goes down now!" I yelled for the crew's benefit. "Fight for yer lives!" A loud chorus of 'Aye's was heard. I grinned despite myself.

The pirates boarded. They came in a fury, swinging across the deck like rabid monkeys. One landed in front of me. He leered wickedly at me. " 'ello poppet," he slurred, eyeing me suggestively. I sneered at him, and slowly reached for my cutlass hanging in my sash. The stupid oaf didn't even notice. "What's yer name darlin'?" He gave me another look that made me feel slightly nauseous. I drew my cutlass swiftly and ran him through, the force of the blow causing him to teeter over the railing. I withdrew it, and he plummeted down to the depths. 'Stupid bugger wasn't even thinking about defending himself,' I thought smugly, and continued fighting. 

~*~*~

"Hello, love," a familiar voice drawled. Smiling happily, I punched out the ugly lout I was fighting and then greeted Jack. 

"I heard you were dead," I told him. 

"No mate, I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! Ya can't kill me that easily!" He dodged a blade, ran the pirate through, and pushed him overboard. "Kind of fighting a losing battle, aren't we?"

I shrugged. "Well, if you'll excuse me," he said, giving me a mock salute, "I have some business to attend to," and he darted off into the fray.

Knowing that Jack was alive, renewed my confidence, as it seemed it had done for Gibbs. I briefly watched him lay a man out. None of Barbossa's crewmen were particular good fighters, but the fact that they couldn't die made the battle one-sided. You could knock them over the railing into the sea, but if they weren't unconscious, they would simply crawl back onboard and continue fighting.

My crew was growing weary.

Looking up from a fight, I saw Jack scurrying over our snapped-in-half mast. Unfortunately my brief distraction caused me to lose my concentration. My sword clanged to the ground, and the vile-looking man I was fighting approached. I continued to back away, when Barbossa ordered his men to bring what was left of my crew over to the deck of the _Pearl_. The man turned his attention away from me, giving me enough time to pick my cutlass up and wipe it off on the _Interceptor's_ rail before I was rudely herded across the plank they had laid out. 

"Do you mind?" I snapped irritably. 

The man behind me simply jabbed me in the back with the hilt of his cutlass. I gave him a nasty look.

Sighing, I stood patiently while they tied us up. Barbossa walked up to me. I tried not to cringe in disgust. "Well, well, well. What do we have here gents?" he asked, smirking at me. "I take it you're the leader of this pathetic attempt at a sea battle."

I glared stonily up at him, and spit. It didn't have the desired effect, because he only looked amused. "What's yer name, love?" he asked, baring his teeth in what seemed to be a smile.

"Rachel Harris," I snarled. "Captain, if you will," I continued in mock politeness.

Barbossa seemed to be searching his mind for something. "Ah yes. Captain Harris. I've heard of ye. One of the only and most successful female pirate captains." He curled his lips into a cruel smirk. "You seemed to have stooped pretty low. Last I saw your ship, she was in a right bad state."

"Eat shit," I growled threateningly. 'Not that I can necessarily do anything to him.'

"Well, you're a feisty one. I'll give ya that." He grinned, displaying his rotting teeth. His smile faltered however, and yet again he appeared to be in deep thought. "What brings ye and Sparrow together, I wonder. Not his whore are ya?"

"HELL NO!" Jack and I exclaimed at the same time. Barbossa looked smug. He knew he had struck a nerve. He was about to go on, but the exploding of the _Interceptor_ and Elizabeth's screeching for Will interrupted him. I didn't really care about Will's welfare; all I wanted him for was bartering and if he was dead then there was no way out of this mess. 

Barbossa seemed to notice Elizabeth for the first time. "Welcome back, Miss. You took advantage of our hospitality last time. It holds fair now that you return the favor," he purred, grinning wickedly. A felt a shiver of disgust run through me. "Ye can join her," he said, giving me a disdainful look. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack had an extremely distraught look on his face. Well, distraught for Jack anyway. 

He pushed her into the sweaty, vile mass of his crew, and began to do untie me when, "Barbossa!" 

I looked up to see Will standing on the deck. 'How did that happen?' I thought dumbly, feeling slightly shocked.

"Will!" Elizabeth exclaimed, exhaling in relief. I wanted to jump for joy. 'Never thought I'd actually be happy to see him.' I curled my lips into a tiny smirk. 'Now I have a possibility of getting out of this and be able to keep what dignity I have left.' 

"She goes free!" Will pointed his pistol at Elizabeth to emphasize his point, then trained it on Barbossa. With the Barbossa's crew's attention on Will, I managed to wiggle out from the bonds that Barbossa had already loosened. No one noticed, and I sidled up next to Jack, who was being restrained. He winked at me. 

"What's in yer head boy?" Barbossa demanded. 

Like an idiot Will answered, "She goes free!" 

"You've only got one shot, and we can't die," Barbossa pointed out, that horrible amused look on his face. 'Well, I'm glad one of us finds this situation entertaining,' I thought sarcastically.

"Don't do anything stupid," Jack pleaded. Will ignored him. 

"You can't. I can." He held the gun to his own head.

Jack's face fell. "Like that," he muttered. 

"Will, you bastard," I muttered to myself. "He's going to ruin the almost non-existent plan that we have," I whispered in Jack's ear. The pirate supposedly watching him sneered threateningly at me. I sneered back. 

"Who are you?" Barbossa inquired. 

Jack and I leaped forward at the same time. "No one, he's no one," I said, trying to cover up for Will's idiotic, thoughtless mistake. 

"A distant cousin of my aunt's nephew twice removed. Lovely singing voice, though - eunuch," Jack continued. We exchanged a desperate look. 

And Will made another stupid mistake. He, of course, didn't feel that he had to stick to our extremely well-planned, spur of the moment story. Like usual, he ignored us. "My name is Will Turner . My father was Bootstrap Bill Turner. His blood runs in my veins." 

"Stupid, stupid, stupid..." I trailed off. Jack looked annoyed. 

"He's the spittin' image of ol' Bootstrap Bill, come back to haunt us!" an extremely ugly pirate with an obviously wooden eye announced. 

"On my word do as I say, or I'll pull this trigger and be lost to Davy Jones' Locker." 'Such a drama queen.' (A/N: Was drama queen a phrase back then? Oh well, it fit. ^_^)

"Name your terms, Mr. Turner," Barbossa said.

"Elizabeth goes free!" 'Has a one-track mind too.'

"Yes, we know that one. Anything else?" 

Jack and I furiously pointed to ourselves. Will looked uncertain for a moment. "And the crew- the crew are not to be harmed." 

Our pointing continued half-heartedly for another second before I threw my hands up in defeat. "He's hopeless," I quipped, and crossed my arms over my chest. 

"Agreed." Barbossa turned to me and Jack with a smug look. 

"Uh-oh," I realized. "Will didn't say when or where."

Jack swore under his breath.

~*~*~

I watched as Elizabeth stepped onto the plank. I was hoping that Barbossa wouldn't maroon me with her. After making Elizabeth strip out of her dress in front of everyone, a pirate jarred the board, causing Elizabeth to fall.

He then pushed Jack towards it. "I'd really rather hoped we were past all this," Jack said desperately.

"JackÉ. Jack. Did ya not notice? That be the same little island that we made you Governor of on our last little trip," Barbossa told him as he pointed out to the tropical beach, serenely nestled amidst the blue of the Caribbean Sea.

"I did notice," Jack replied, looking somewhat helpless.

"That's ironic," I commented dryly.

"You're next," Barbossa snapped. 

"Oh damn. And I was hoping I'd get out of this one," I replied easily.

Barbossa turned his attention back to Jack. "Perhaps you'll be able to conjure up another miraculous escapeÉbut I doubt it." He unsheathed his sword and brandished it at Jack's throat. "Off you go." 

"Last time you left me a pistol with one shot," Jack pointed out.

"By the powers, you're right. Were be Jack 's pistol? Bring it forward," Barbossa ordered. Someone brought Jack's weapon. 

Jack made one last request. "Seeing as there's three of us, a gentlemanÉwould give us three pistols." I expectantly awaited the answer to this. 

Barbossa seemed to ponder this a minute. "It'll be two pistols, and you can be a gentlemen and shoot the ladies, and starve to death yourself," he finished cruelly, and tossed Jack's effects overboard. Jack swan-dived gracefully after them.

Now I was pushed onto the plank, while someone presented Barbossa with my effects. He eyed me insinuatively. "Ye'd be a pretty one to have aboard me ship, but I don't take kindly to things that spit."

"I'm not a _thing_, as you so delicately put it," I shot back. "Besides, I don't want to be within 20 feet of you."

Barbossa looked peeved, and threw my sword and pistol over the side. Before diving in after it, I gave Will a hopeful look, and winked at Elizabeth. I turned to Anamaria, who was glaring furiously in Barbossa's general direction. "Ta, Ana!" I called to my new friend, and dived off the gangplank.

TBC

~*~*~

**A/N:**Wooo, cliffy! Well, kinda... Y'all already know what happens in the long run. In the next chapter look forward to: Rachel's long awaited life story, and a little romance possibly. Oh, and plenty of Elizabeth bashing! I love bashing people. 'tis so much fun! *grins*  
I'm soooooooooo happy with all of my reviews! Y'all definitely went over the 70 mark! *applauds* Now time for responses!

**katesparrow**- I feel for ya mate! Being grounded from the internet totally sucks. *nods* It does.   
Jack: It's yer own damn fault.  
Me: Wel, she doesn't have to know that! You shuddup! *snatches his rum bottle away*  
Jack: Hey! Give that back! *chases me around the room*  
Sirius: *walks in* Hi guys!  
Jack and Me: *freeze and stare at him*  
Sirius: Hehe. *shuffles feet nervously*  
Me: *sighs* Anyway, I love your new story! And I can't wait for your update on your POTC story! Ta luv!

**chibichibi386**- Was this long enough for ya? Thanks for the lovely review!

**PepaMynt**- Thanks for yer review! If you thought last chapter was a cliffy you'll really think this one is. ^_^ I'd definitely use yer idea about the potatoes, but the poor Interceptor blew up. It'll just have to be an ongoing habit that'll appear in the possible sequel I'm gonna maybe write!

**Lunawolf**- Sorry for the short chapter, but this should make up for it! Bloody 3,000 words! Not including A/Ns and review responses. *puffs out chest proudly* And ya guessed right about the island scene. ^_^

**BlackHearte11**- Aww, bad HP characters for locking you in the closet. *smirks* I'm glad Jack, Sirius, and Rachel don't do that kind of stuff!  
Jack, Sirius, and Rachel: *exchange knowing looks*  
Me: Uh-oh...

**Jessi Lupin**- Mi amigo! Como estas?  
Sirius: Enough with the spanish already!  
Jack and Rachel: Aye, you're not as cool as ye think ya are.  
Me: *looks hurt* Thanks for the review! I can't wait for your next story update! Oh, and take me to the Shadow Realm some time! Looks like a party! Lol!  
Jack, Rachel, and Sirius: O.o

**SS/Destiny Dae**- yay! A new reviewer! And you reviewed twice! Double yay! Thanks so much for your compliments. *blushes* Jack is a tough one to write.  
Jack: Damn right!  
Rachel: You keep thinking that. *rolls eyes* I'm waaaaay better than he is!  
Sirius: It's a common fact that I'm everyone's favorite.  
*they all get into a fistfight*  
Me: Oh, fork monkeys. Well, IM me sometime and we can talk. (if you have a screen name that is. If you don't just email me) My s/n is Sparrowess359. I'm on almost all the time. ^_^

And that's all folks! Now, the goal for this chapter is 80! Can y'all do it!  
Jack: Sure they can!  
Me: Now, go out and read my other PotC story! Oh, and discard my HP story b/c once I'm finished with this one I'm going to revamp it. ^_^

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	14. Marooned

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, and I never will. But I do have my life long goal of meeting Johnny Depp someday. Oh, and I also have the wish that he would have won an Oscar for best actor. Fucking Academy.

~*~*~

Jack and I sat on the shore and tried to sever the ropes binding our wrists. For some reason, they hadn't bound Elizabeth's wrists together. I guess they didn't see her as a direct threat. She was standing and watching us saw on the rope with our cutlasses, and it was really starting to irritate me.

"Since yer just standin' there, why don't ya go explore or something?" I suggested. 

"But-" Jack trailed off at my warning glance. Elizabeth nodded and walked down the beach. "You know good and well that there's nothing to see here."

"Aye," I replied and watched as the ties continued to fray. Jack just smirked cheekily.

"Uh-huh."

The ropes snapped. "Finally," I sighed and waited for Jack to free himself. "Well, what are we gonna do now?" I asked.

"I don't know, love. _I'm_ going to dry my boots out." He paused to inspect his pistol. "And then I'm going to find some shade. Now you, on the other hand, I haven't the faintest idea."

I rolled my eyes. "Yer insufferable." I too pulled off my boots, and rolled up the cuffs on my trousers. By this time Elizabeth had returned.

"Find anything?" Jack asked, and grinned when she shook her head. He stood abruptly, and staggered off in the direction of the palm trees swaying in the light breeze.

I sighed heavily. The sun felt so good that I didn't want to stand and follow. Grudgingly, I scrambled to my feet. "Where are you going?" I asked in an exasperated tone. He turned and grinned at me, then continued on. "This better be worth it," I growled. Elizabeth and I hurried after him.

"What do you intend to do about this?" Elizabeth demanded. Jack shrugged. "But you were marooned on this island before, weren't you?!" she called over the wind that was now whipping through the trees. "So we can escape in the same way you did then."

Jack shot me a pleading look, and sighing, I dealt with Elizabeth. "What would be the point?" I asked her. "I have nothing to go back to, Jack's _Pearl_ is gone, and Will is probably dead anyway."

"And unless you have a rudder and a lot of sails hidden in that bodice-unlikely- we have no way of even getting to him in time," Jack added. I smirked at her, but she didn't take the hint.

Jack knocked on a tree trunk, and then took four exaggerated steps, before jumping up and down on an unstable piece of ground. Elizabeth hurried after him. I leaned idly against a tree.

"But you're Captain Jack Sparrow." Jack smiled and nodded at this. 'Probably glad someone got his title right,' I thought. "You vanished from under the eyes of seven agents of the East India Company. You sacked Nassau Port without even firing a shot. Are you the pirate I've read about or not? How did you escape last time?"

"Whoah. You did all that?" I snorted. "That's unlikely."

He stopped jumping. "Well, love, we've got plenty o' time for me to tell ya about it," he shot back.

Elizabeth cleared her throat noisily. "How did you escape last time?" she demanded again.

"Last time ...I was here a grand total of three days, alright?" he said irritably. "Last time..." He swung open a door to a secret cellar.

"Well, that explains a lot," I stated bluntly.

"É the rumrunners used this island as a cache. Came by, and I was able to barter a passage off. From the looks of things, they've long been out of business. Probably Éhave your bloody friend Norrington to thank for that." He disappeared inside, and returned with three bottles of rum.

I miled in delight. "Rum!" I exclaimed happily, and bounced over to grab a bottle. Elizabeth looked pissed.

"So that's it then? That's the secret grand adventure of the infamous Jack Sparrow?" she asked incredulously. "You spent three days lying on a beach drinking rum?"

I laughed aloud this time. " 'twould appear so wouldn't it? You didn't expect something more did ya?"

Jack bumped me hard in the shoulder as he walked up to Elizabeth. "Welcome to the Caribbean, love." He handed her a bottle, and stalked off toward the beach. Feeling pleased with myself, I followed, leaving Elizabeth staring dumbly at the rum bottle in her hand.

~*~*~

We'd been sitting on the beach for quite a while, and I felt the effects of the rum beginning to take. Amazingly enough, after taunting her for a while, we were able to get Elizabeth to drink with us. The conversation had been normal for a while, and then Elizabeth had asked if the stories about Jack were true. So, to prove himself, Jack had shown us his numerous scars, and Elizabeth promptly shut up. I vaguely remember Elizabeth singing some song, and us wanting to know what the words were. She refused to tell us.

"So, what's all this about sacking Nassau without firing a single shot?" I asked as drew little designs in the sand. Jack told me. He also rambled on about every other adventure he'd had. I was almost asleep when Elizabeth asked the inevitable.

"What about you?"

'What about me?' I gave her a hard look, the alcohol starting to make my mind swim in confusion. I sighed.

"She won't tell ye, love," Jack said to Elizabeth. "She hasn't even told me."

"Damn right I haven't told ye, ya cur," I snapped. "But I figure after this, either we'll die or you two won't remember anything that was said due to the rum. So I'll tell ya." Grudgingly, I began.

"I got my ship when I was naught but twenty, maybe. Won her in Spain, during a poker game. At the time I was working in disguise as a lad aboard Captain Pete Black's _Seahawk_." Jack grunted in acknowledgment of Pete Black and his ship.

"Anyhow, I'd been allowed to play because they didn't think I would win, but they also thought I was only thirteen or fourteen years old. So I won the ship from one of the pirates in the game. Stupid blighter, shouldn't have bet his ship, but he figured he'd won," I smirked darkly. "But I had four aces, and plenty of practice in cheating. He'd been completely outraged, and wanted to take his ship back. Pete's crew thought it was the funniest thing they'd ever seen, until I killed the man. Then they bolted out of that bar in a hurry.

"So I went to the docks, and found my new ship, called _La Estrella_. I thought it was a stupid name, but I kept it for lack of anything better. It did grow on me. I never have been creative in that aspect. I found me a crew, probably the only men (and one woman) who would serve under a woman captain. By then I had decided to reveal my identity, there was no need to hide it anymore. Someone would've found out eventually." I paused in order to piece together the shards of my shattered memory.

"My first mate was named Kayla Johnson, and she was the best friend I ever had. If it weren't for her, I never would've made it. My second mate was-" I gulped. "John Andrews," I stuttered. I hadn't said that name out loud in a long time. It made me sick to my stomach. "I never should've trusted John. Something was not quite right about him from the very beginning, but he did have the most sea experience, so he would have to do.

"All went well for a long time. Around six years perhaps." I fumbled with my conception of time. It was to no avail. I wasn't thinking clearly enough. "Until the mutiny. Until my reputation was lost and my life became hell. I sensed tension for a while, and should've done something about it. My crew had changed several times since I had first gotten _La Estrella_, and the current crew was brand new-except for Kayla and John.

"The new crew was far from what I would have liked, but it was all I had to work with, so it would just have to do. Obviously they were very impressionable, because they soon fell under John's spell. All, that is, except for Kayla and a few others, but they were outnumbered." I glanced at Jack and Elizabeth. She was paying rapt attention, and Jack was staring thoughtfully at the ground.

I continued. "John knocked on my cabin in the middle of the night. Thinking something was wrong, I answered the door, which was a big mistake. Two men jumped on me, and tied me up. When Kayla and the other loyal crew members protested, John had them tortured and killed right in front of me.

"Naturally, I felt like shit, and didn't care if I lived or died. As luck might have it, they went after me next. They tortured and beat me into oblivion, and tossed my body onto some beach, leaving me to die from hunger, thirst, and my wounds. Unlike you, I wasn't given a pistol with one shot." I deliberately left out the part about being raped. I didn't think Jack needed to hear about that, and I didn't know Elizabeth well enough to tell her something like that. "Bloody bastard," I snarled, the memory of John making me suddenly feel defensive and angry. I fell silent.

"How did you get off the island?" Elizabeth asked gently. I sighed, not wanting to continue, but I knew they deserved the rest of the story.

"Well, it seems that the island they'd thrown me on wasn't as deserted as John had thought. Turns out it was the vacation island of some wealthy British family. They found me unconscious on the shore, and took me up to their home on the side of the island." I smirked at the thought of John finding out I was alive after all of this time.

"They didn't know ye were a pirate?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"They didn't even check. I guess they figured that since I was a woman, I automatically wasn't a threat. I told them I had amnesia, and that I didn't remember a thing, and asked if they could take me to the nearest port. Of course, it crossed my mind once or twice that I should kill them. One less snob to worry about, ya know? But they'd saved my life. I owed them a lot.

"After that, I wandered from port to port, island to island without any money. Actually, what money I had, I used for food or passage on ships. I bartered me cutlass in order to reach Port Royal, along with a few shillings. There, I finally found a ship I wanted, and _you_ had to be there." I rolled my eyes.

Jack chuckled lightly. "Aye, your knight in shining armor."

"Shut up. If it weren't for you, I would be sailing along in the _Interceptor_ minding me own business. Instead, I'm yet again marooned on some god forsaken beach, this time with the two of you."

"Knew you couldn't resist me, love." Jack winked. 

"Prat."

"Hellcat."

"Bastard."

"Bitch."

"Sick fu-"

"SHUT UP!"

We both jumped at Elizabeth's sudden outburst. "Honestly, the two of you need to get a life."

"We're sooo misunderstood," I sighed, shaking my head.

"Lizzie, darlin'," Jack began.

"It's Miss Swan," Elizabeth interrupted.

"Whatever. Anyway, this is my life. This whole bleedin' island! All thanks to bloody Will."

"Aye, a toast to Will!" I exclaimed drunkenly.

"It's not his fault," Elizabeth protested weakly.

Jack and I clinked our bottles together, and it was then I noticed how much rum we'd drunk. About two or three bottles each. 'Funny how I never noticed going back to the cellar,' I thought dazedly. I shrugged.

The sun was beginning to set, and despite our current predicament, it looked quite beautiful. Everything was bathed in pinks and purples. 'Hehe. Including Jack and Elizabeth!'

" 's cold!" I slurred abruptly, and staggered to my feet. "I'm gonna build a fire."

"I'll help ye!" Jack announced, and clambered to his feet as well.

I went to take a step forward, but found I couldn't do it. Instead, I was falling down. "Whee!!" I giggled, and then felt two arms grab my waist and pull me up. 'That's funny,' I thought stupidly.

"You fell," Jack stated plainly and then collapsed into a peal of laughter.

I pretended to act indignant, and attempted to stomp away, but ended up falling flat on my face. Now Elizabeth was laughing as well. " 's not funny," I grumbled as Jack offered me a hand. Together we helped each other stumble into the palm tree grove.

We did okay until the damned tree root came up out of nowhere. And yet again I was falling, except this time I ended up on top of Jack.

"Bloody root," I swore when all of a sudden, his lips met mine. At first, I was too shocked to do anything, and then, whether from a drunken stupor or pent-up lust, I began to kiss him back. 'Tastes like rum,' I thought hazily. 'Oh shit! Not good, not good!' I pulled myself away, much to Jack's disappointment. "Not good. Bad." I struggled to get to my feet, but the rum was preventing me from doing anything gracefully. I'm sure it looked like I was tripping to my feet.

Jack rolled over onto his stomach, and propped his head up on his elbow. "Do I offend?" he slurred, grinning stupidly.

If only he knew that he didn't. In fact, I'd been enjoying it very much. But it was wrong. So, I didn't reply. I just gathered my sticks and branches together, and hobbled back to where Elizabeth was waiting, leaving a very stunned Jack Sparrow behind. "Probably staring at my ass, the sick pervert," I grumbled under my breath.

~*~*~

"We're devils and black sheep! Really bad eggs! Drink up, me 'earties yo ho!" The three of us belted out the lyrics to Elizabeth's song as we danced around the roaring fire. I was amazed we'd even gotten the fire to ignite in the first place. Elizabeth didn't know how to make one, and Jack and I were drunk as skunks. Somehow we managed to throw the sticks together in a haphazard fashion, and I still don't know what we used for kindling.

"I love this song! Really bad eggs!" Jack bellowed, and tripped over his own feet, landing sprawled on the ground. Elizabeth landed next to him, and I on the other side of her. "When I get the Pearl back, I'm gonna teach it to the whole crew, and we'll sing it all the time!"

"And you'll be positively the most fearsome pirate in the Spanish Main," Elizabeth told him.

"Like that'll ever happen," I snorted. They both threw me dirty looks. I simply shrugged.

Jack continued as if he hadn't heard me. "Not just the Spanish Main , love. The entire ocean. The entire wo'ld. Wherever we want to go, we'll go. That's what a ship is, you know. It's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails that's what a ship needs but what a ship is Éwhat the Black Pearl really is Éis freedom."

'That was really deeeeeep!' I thought, giving a mental giggle.

"Jack Éit must be really terrible for you to be trapped on this island," Elizabeth crooned. 'What's she getting at?' I wondered.

"Oh yes," Jack answered. He put his arm around her, and a pang of jealousy ripped through me. I quickly smothered it, and gave myself a mental shake. "But the company is infinitely better than last time, I think. The scenery has definitely improved." He winked at me this time, and I resisted the urge to throw up.

"Mr. Sparrow ÉI'm not entirely sure that I've had enough rum to allow that kind of talk," Elizabeth simpered.

'I have.' 'Whoa! Where the hell did that come from!' I decided it was the rum. Had to be.

Thankfully, I said none of this out loud. "I know exactly what you mean, love." Jack curled his mustache, doing an impression of a British military man.

Elizabeth held up her bottle. "To freedom."

Jack raised his. "To the _Black Pearl_."

I stopped sulking long enough to raise my rum bottle. "To me not puking all over myself." They both gave me weird looks, which I returned with a sneer. 'Must've ruined the mood,' I thought sullenly. Tipping my head back, I gulped down the rest of the contents in the bottle, and welcomed the blackness.

TBC

~*~*~

**A/N:**And there ya are folks! Another chapter! For once I didn't have homework. *does happy dance* ^_^ I want to say thanks for my reviews! But I'm too lazy to reply to them because I want to get this chapter up. Responses will be next chapter. And **REVIEW** because I want to know what you think of this! No flames please. They'll just go to help light the fire for the rum scene. ^_^ Oh, and Henry the Rabid Seagull says hi.

Henry: Hi!

Readers: O.o

Jack: Come back Henry! You still owe me 20 bucks!

Henry: Hehe. Gotta go! *flies away as Jack comes dashing in waving his cutlass in the air*

Jack: *sees readers and puts away his cutlass* Yo! Sup?

Readers: O.o

Me: And that is my OOC Jack! Isn't he awesome! If you want more of Henry, OOC Jack and OOC Will, GO READ MY PARODY! It's cool. ^_^ Ta for now! *drags Jack away*

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~

Oh, and I just wanted to say that 'savvy' is the best word ever. Whew, glad I got that off my chest. Lol. 


	15. Bogus Stories and a Gullible Norry

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, savvy? If you chose to sue me all I can give you is a _Secret Window_ ticket stub. (That's a great movie, by the way. Go see it!)

~*~*~

"Rachel."

"One more minute."

"Rachel, wake up."

"Go away!" I growled. Squeezing my eyes shut, I rolled over on my side.

"Rachel!"

'Stupid chit.' Rolling back over, I opened my eyes and looked up to see Elizabeth standing over me. "What'd ya want?"

"I have an idea to get us off this island."

"It'd better be good," I snapped. I struggled to my feet, and winced at the pain that filled my head. "Shit," I cursed as a feeling of nausea and dizziness swept over me.

"What?" Elizabeth asked cautiously, as if I'd attack her at any moment.

"Hangover. Don't you have one?" I asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

"Oh. Well, no. I didn't drink near as much as you and Jack did." Shrugging her shoulders, she continued. "But I have an idea about how to get help."

"Oh really? And how do you suppose we do that? Did you manage to magically conjure up a ship in the middle of the night?" I asked sarcastically.

She gave me a dirty look. "No. As I was saying, we have to build a really large fire."

"A big fire?" I laughed. "With what?"

"Anything. Everything!"

'That sounds familiar,' I thought dryly.

"It's likely the whole Royal fleet is out searching for me. There is no way that they couldn't see it."

"Fine then. It's not like I honestly care. I've nothing to live for either way." The more I thought about it, the more I liked the whole idea. "Besides, it's always fun to piss Sparrow off," I finished, grinning deviously. Elizabeth returned it, and fairly soon we had another roaring fire going; this one much, much bigger than the camp fire from the previous night. It consumed our whole section of the island, burning all of the shade provided by the palm trees. I also found it quite humorous that rum would explode. While I was puzzling over how this was possible, Jack awoke.

"No! Not good! Stop! Not good! What are you doing?"

I turned around, and laughed at the completely bewildered look on his face. "We're simply trying to save our asses," I replied. "You would ne'er agreed to this."

"Of course I wouldn't! You burned all the food, the shade. The rum!" As he said this, Elizabeth tossed another barrel into the crackling flames, sending a large explosion into the air.

"Yes, the rum is gone," Elizabeth said.

"No more rum," I added pointlessly.

"But why is the rum gone?" Jack demanded, looking at the two of us wildly.

"Because we burned it," I sassed. He shot me a murderous look.

"One, because it is a vile drink that turns even the most respectable men into complete scoundrels. Two, that signal is over a thousand feet high. The entire Royal Navy is out looking for me, do you really think that there is even the slightest chance that they won't see it?" Elizabeth told him, and sat down on the sand. "Just wait, Captain Sparrow. You give it one hour, maybe two, keep a weather eye out and then you will see white sails on that horizon."

Jack took his pistol out and aimed it at her, thought better of it, and returned it to its holster. I winked at him.

"Give me a reason, and I swear I'll shoot ye," Jack snarled, and stalked away.

"Aw, come on Jack! Where's yer sense of adventure!" I called to him. He ignored me. I shrugged my shoulders, and sank to the ground next to Elizabeth. "See what I mean? He's cute when he's mad."

"You're hopeless, both of you," Elizabeth sighed.

~*~*~

"Sparrow and Harris, together again," Norrington commented acidly.

" 'twould appear that way, wouldn't it?" Jack replied, looking nonchalant.

"Frankly, I'm surprised the two of you would stay together. I figured you would go gallivanting off, Harris."

"I'm just as surprised, Norry," I replied honestly, biting back a laugh at the sneer of disgust on Norrington's face at the use of the nickname.

"You had better watch yourself, Harris," he growled. Jack chuckled lightly.

Elizabeth cleared her throat impatiently, and Norrington sighed. "What is it that you want Miss Swann?" he asked politely.

"I want to know when we are going to save Will," she answered.

"Miss Swann, chances are he's dead already. I do not want to further endanger my crew for a lost cause."

I saw Elizabeth's face color slightly, and I knew that she was very near losing her temper. "But we've got to save Will!" she protested.

"No. You're safe now. We will return to Port Royal immediately, not go gallivanting after pirates!" Elizabeth's father, whom I presumed to be the governor of Port Royal, argued.

"Then we condemn him to death," Elizabeth fought back. She was near hysterics now.

"We have to get back to Will," Jack whispered in my ear. "It's the only way we'll get out of this alive."

I nodded. "Time to pour on the charm," I said playfully.

"If I may be so bold as to inject my professional opinion. The Pearl was listing near to scuppers after the battle. It's very unlikely she'll be able to make good time. Think about it. The Black Pearl. The last real pirate threat in the Caribbean , mate. How can you pass that up?" Jack spoke up.

"Nice touch," I breathed lightly so that only he could hear.

"By remembering that I serve others, Mr. Sparrow , not only myself." Norrington looked peeved.

"Technically, you wouldn't be serving yourself. If you eliminated the last pirate threat, wouldn't there be less people dying?" I sagely noted.

"It would be best, Miss Harris, if you kept your mouth shut."

"It's Captain Harris," I reminded automatically.

Elizabeth was looking desperate. "Commodore, I beg you, please do this. For me. As a wedding gift."

Everyone looked at her in shock. There was a moment of stunned silence. "Elizabeth. Are you accepting the Commodore's proposal?" her father asked in surprise.

"I am," she replied, looking meaningfully at Norrington.

"A wedding? I love weddings! Drinks all around!" Jack exclaimed, trying to lighten the mood.

"I doubt we'd be invited," I told him.

Jack smirked briefly, and then became serious again. "I know. "Clap him in irons," right?" he asked, extending his arms out. Sighing, I extended my arms as well. "Well, it was fun while it lasted," I commented cynically.

Norrington seemed to be pondering something, and then said, much to my and Jack's surprise, "Mr. Sparrow, you will accompany these fine men to the helm and provide us with the bearing to Isla de Muerta. You will then spend the rest of the voyage contemplating all possible meanings of the phrase "silent as the grave." Do I make myself clear?"

"Inescapably clear."

"Good." Norrington glanced at me, and frowned. "I don't know what I'm going to do with you."

"I just want you to know, that I know where this place is as well," I remarked. Norrington just looked nonplused.

"You will go where ever I tell you to."

Suddenly an idea came to me. "Well, it would be too bad if you couldn't marry Elizabeth because I was locked in the brig," I said airily. "But if you insist ..."

Jack gave me a weird look. I simply nodded as if to say "let me take care of it".

"And why wouldn't I marry Elizabeth?" Norrington asked.

I smiled sweetly at him. "Only because Jack knows half of the way there. I know the other half." Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jack grinning.

"Aye. She does know the other half. It was a fifty-fifty deal, just so we couldn't back out on each other, savvy?" Jack added.

Norrington scowled. "Well, if you must." He glared around at the rest of the crew that had congregated to watch the scene unfold. "Back to work, all of you! And if hear about one disturbance from the two of you," this comment directed at Jack and I, "it's back to the brig, savvy?"

Jack cringed. "It would be best if you left that word to us pirates." Norrington glared at him, and then stormed off to what I assumed to be his cabin. Everyone else went back to their duties, leaving Jack, Elizabeth, and I standing together.

"I best be off to my cabin," Elizabeth said crisply, and walked away.

Jack and I headed up to the helm, where surprisingly Norrington had left no guards. We burst out laughing. "What an idiot!" I exclaimed. Jack shook his head in pity.

"I wouldn't ever have believed that story. I wonder how he became a commodore." Jack put on a mock-puzzling expression.

I sniggered. "It makes no sense, but I figured it was worth a try. Besides, he let three people steal one of his ships right from under his nose."

Jack whipped out his compass, took a quick glance at it, and snapped it back shut. "It worked though," he said as he directed the ship towards Isle de Muerta.

There was a period of silence, in which I stared listlessly out at the blue sea. It was then I remembered the fact that I had a hangover. My headache, now that I was thinking about it, came back ten-fold. I groaned softly. At Jack's raised eyebrow, I replied, "Hangover."

Jack grunted in response, and went back to gazing out at the horizon. I studied him for a moment, and wondered what he was thinking. Unfortunately, the first thought that popped into my head was if he remembered our little "escapade" on the island. A secret part of me hoped he did, and hoped he enjoyed it. Another part of me wanted him not to remember, because it was a tad embarrassing. 'Blame it on the alcohol,' I told myself.

I had a feeling that sometime in the near future he was going to bring the subject up just to give me a hard time, which was definitely not on my list of preferences. 'I'd rather just forget about the whole thing,' I told myself firmly. But the truth of the matter was I hadn't been with a man in a long time. Too long. I figured Jack Sparrow could be my play thing, if the opportunity arose.

TBC

~*~*~

A/N: WOOT! I finally got this typed and written. I figure there are about four chapters maximum left in this fic, and I'll probably do a sequel. It depends on who wants one. But right now I have to go do my history homework, so on to the review responses.

**Anime-and-Toons**-Thanks for reviewing! I'm glad you like this!

**Thralinde**- *sighs in relief* I was afraid you wouldn't like this. Thanks for reading and reassuring me. I was afraid of getting flames because this was too Mary Sue. ^_^

**DeppStruck**- Thanks so such for your review! It made me happy! I myself have practically the whole script memorized. *guilty look* And I wish I could say the word 'savvy' all day, but then people look at me funny. Hehe. And I promise I won't apologize anymore for my short chappies! But I haven't written a short one in a while.

**Lunawolf**- Thanks for your review! yes, poor Rachel is very confused. She's resolved herself this chapter, or so she thinks. *evil smirk*

**chibichibi386**- Thankies for the review!

**katesparrow**- Hi! You always make me feel so loved. *laughs* I'm really glad you like this story. I hope ya like this chappie as well! Oh, and update Pandora's Box. hehe.

**PepaMynt**- Thanks for reviewing! Yeah, I wish I could put Jack's POV in, but if I did this wouldn't be considered an official 1rst person story.

**Jessi Lupin**- Hey! Thanks for the review! I gave pizza up for Lent. *looks sad*

Jack: *waves a piece of pizza around tantalizingly*

Me: I'm gonna kill you Jack!

**Vyerna Malice**- Thanks for reviewing. As of right now, I don't consider this to be romance yet. Besides, compared to most stories where the characters fall in love with Jack in the first chapter, I think I'm doing a fairly good job at it. Serious romance will come much later. Thanks for your opinion though! ^_^

And that's all folks! **Review** and tell me if y'all want a sequel or not. Oh, and no flames please! ^_^

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	16. The End or Is It?

**Disclaimer:** This is getting really old. For the-*goes off to see how many chapters have been written*- sixteenth time! I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean! The only things that are mine are my DVD and my fics I've written!

~*~*~

"We've been here a lot lately," I remarked lightly as Jack, Elizabeth and I peered out into the gloom that was Isla de Muerta.

"Not my idea of a sunny vacation spot," Jack commented, grinning slightly. Elizabeth said nothing. It was apparent our attempts at lightening the mood were not working.

"Miss Doom and Gloom over there," I muttered, and Elizabeth gave shot me a glare. "What?" I asked innocently, raising my hands in defense.

"Will is probably being murdered or tortured as we speak, and here the two of you are joking around like you're back on that beach drinking rum!" Elizabeth snapped, staring darkly out at the depthless water.

"Well, Lizzie, if we'd known ye would miss that island so much, Rachel here would never have helped you burn the place," Jack said in mock-seriousness.

I nodded. "Damn right I wouldn't have." At the moment, I would have much preferred to be stranded on that beach with a cellar full of rum. "I don't know why I left in the first place."

"To save Will," Elizabeth supplied icily, and stormed off down the deck.

"Well, that's one way to rid yourself of a nuisance," Jack commented, watching Elizabeth stalk away in amusement.

"Aye. Now, I assume you have a plan," I said, my mood becoming serious again.

Jack smirked at me. "I'm Captain Jack Sparrow! I don't need a plan!" He exclaimed, his arms spread wide for effect.

"Which means that you do have one," I voiced my translation of his egotistical outburst.

Jack covered his heart with his hands as if I'd stabbed him. "Ye wound me," he wailed, and careened around as if I'd run him through with my cutlass.

"No," I said. "But I'm very close to it. So you'd better tell me your plan _now_," I demanded.

Jack perched himself on the railing so that he was facing me, and drew a deep breath as if he was about to announce something important. "The plan is-" He cleared his throat loudly. "The plan is that I go and get the _Black Pearl_ back by me onesies."

He wasn't leaving me behind this time. Of this I was sure. "Like hell you are," I snarled. "You are not leaving me on this ship alone at the mercy of Norrington's men. I'm going with you. Need I remind you what happened last time you left me? You ended up very close to dying due to the fact that Will deserted you."

Jack raised his eyebrows in obvious amusement. "Temper, temper, love," he said lazily. "I never knew you cared so much."

Ok, so he had me cornered there. I bit my lip hard and tasted the coppery flavor of blood. "I do not care about you, Sparrow," I said coldly, although it sounded lame, even to my ears. "I care about myself. And I'm going with you, no matter what you say. Tell me the plan or don't. It doesn't matter to me. And once we get the _Pearl_ back, drop me off at the nearest Port. I have plans to find my own ship again." With one last frigid look, I whirled around and stomped over to where Norrington and his men were lowering the boats.

~*~*~

"I don't care for the situation. Any attempt to storm the caves could turn to an ambush."

"Aw, come on Norry, live a little," I laughed, and gave him a charming smile. Both he and Jack gave me an annoyed look.

"Not if you're the one doing the ambushing. I go in, I convince Barbossa to send his men out with their little boats. You and your mates return to the _Dauntless_ and blast the bejesus outta them with your little cannons, eh?" Jack explained putting an arm around Norrington's shoulder, that half-grin on his face. "What do you have to lose?"

"Nothing that I'd lament being rid off," Norrington replied acidly, and shrugged Jack's arm off.

"Oh ho. I see how it is," I complained. "You tell _him_ the plan, but not me!" I protested irritably. Jack shot me a look so venomous, that I shut up immediately. 'Ok, so maybe he has a different plan,' I thought. Fortunately, Norrington didn't notice Jack's silencing glare.

"Now, to be quite honest with you, there's still a slight risk for those aboard the _Dauntless_ which includes the future Mrs. Commodore," Jack continued.

Norrington considered this for a moment, and sent one of the boats back to the _Dauntless_ with orders to lock Elizabeth in her room. 'Poor chit,' I thought sympathetically.

Norrington then sent Jack and I off to the forbidding-looking cave in another one of his boats. Jack rowed, and I looked greedily down at the coins on the rocks and in the water.

"It's funny. Will was doing the exact same thing last time we were here," Jack remarked.

"Will can kiss my arse," I quipped, and leaned back slightly so that I was in a more comfortable position. We were nearing the mouth of the cave, and a sick feeling of dread descended in the pit of my stomach. Jack looked completely nonchalant about the whole ordeal, and I hoped that I appeared the same.

We cautiously picked our way through one of the passages in the cave. The darkness engulfing it was impenetrable, and made it impossible to see anything. I relied on my ears to keep track of where Jack was. He seemed to know his way around quite well. As we neared the end, I saw the welcoming glow of torch light. Jack picked up his pace, and we emerged into a moonlit cavern filled to the brim with all types of gold and other swag. My first impulse was to pause and inspect it, but Jack didn't give it a glance, and instead began to push his way through the smelly mass of cursed pirates. Sighing, I followed in his wake, and smirked at the confused looks I received from most of the pirates as I passed.

"Begun by blood-" Barbossa began, leaning in to slit Will's throat.

"Excuse me," Jack murmured to one of them, and pushed his way through the front-line with me closely behind.

"Jack!" Will exclaimed, a flicker of relief passing over his face. I smiled cheerily up at him, and winked.

Barbossa paused in his speech, and eyed the two of us with a mixture of sheer astonishment and annoyance. "S'not possible!" he gasped, his mouth gaping slightly.

"Not probable," Jack corrected.

"Hello there, Barbossa. Long time no see. Did ya miss me?" I asked cheekily. Barbossa sneered in response.

"Where's Elizabeth?" Will demanded immediately. 

"It's great to see you too, Will. We should get together more often, maybe even have tea some time," I teased.

Jack and Barbossa rolled their eyes. "She's safe, just like _I_ promised. She's all set to marry Norrington, just like _she_ promised. And you get to die for her, just like _you_ promised. So we're all men of our word really except for Elizabeth who is, in fact, a woman," Jack supplied, albeit not very helpfully.

"Shut up! You're next," Barbossa spat, and again leaned in to cut Will's throat.

"You don't want to be doing that, mate," Jack warned.

"No, I really think I do," Barbossa shot back, looking extremely irked by the whole scenario.

"That's alright with me. Never liked him much anyway," I put-in. Will glowered at me, which I returned with a leer.

"Your funeral." Jack shrugged.

Barbossa grunted in aggravation, but lowered the dagger. "_Why_ don't I want to be doing it?" he inquired.

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked sarcastically. "We wouldn't have come in here without reinforcements, mate."

"What she means to say," Jack added, "is that the _HMS Dauntless_, pride of the Royal Navy, is floating just offshore. Waiting for you." He pushed the pirate's arm off of his shoulder, and made his way up to where Barbossa and Will were standing.

"Just hear me out, mate. You order your men to row out to the Dauntless. They do what they do best. Robert's your Uncle, Fannie's your Aunt, there you are with two ships. The makings of your very own fleet. 'Course you'll take the grandest as your flagship, and who's to argue? But what of the Pearl? Name me Captain, I'll sail under your colors, I'll give you ten percent of me plunder and you get to introduce yourself asÉ.Commodore Barbossa. Savvy?"

'So that's his plan,' I realized finally. 'Though, it doesn't seem very like him, but he _is_ a pirate.' I then realized that he hadn't mentioned me at all, and I expressed my displeasure at being excluded by crossing my arms defiantly and clearing my throat as loudly as possible.

"And Rachel stays with me. I don't think you want to deal with her," Jack finished.

"I heard that," I growled.

"Fine with me," Barbossa grunted. "And in exchange I suppose you don't want me to kill the whelp."

"Oh, no. That's ok. We don't need him anyway," I told him, and smirked at a very forlorn and betrayed looking Will.

"Of course kill the whelp. Just not yet. Wait to lift the curse until the opportune moment. For instance..." Jack dug his hands into the cursed chest and pulled out a few of the glittering medallions. "...after you've killed Norrington's men... Every-" CLINK- "Last-" CLINK- "One." The last coin dropped harmlessly into the chest, or so it appeared. It seems that both Will and I saw Jack pocket the fourth one. It was then I understood Jack's plan, and my hand wandered towards the hilt of my sword.

"You've been planning this from the beginning. Ever since you learned my name," Will accused, hurt lacing his words. 'Wow. He should be an actor,' I thought sarcastically.

"Yeah," Jack responded nonchalantly.

"The moral of this dear Will, is never to trust a pirate," I said caustically. 

"I want fifty percent of your plunder," Barbossa announced sharply.

"Fifteen," Jack negotiated.

"Forty."

"Twenty five."

"And he'll buy you the hat!" I interjected.

"Aye, a really big one...Commodore." Jack finished, looking expectantly at Barbossa.

"We have an accord," Barbossa agreed, and the two of them shook hands.

"All hands to the boats!" Jack ordered, throwing his arms up for effect. At Barbossa's incredulous look, Jack bowed in amends. "Apologies. You give the orders."

"Gents, take a walk!" Barbossa bellowed, and the pirates began to shuffle away.

"Not to the boats?" Jack asked timidly.

"No, of course not. That would be too easy," I mumbled under my breath.

~*~*~

"I must admit, Jack , I thought I had ye figured. But it turns out that you're a hard man to predict," Barbossa said conversationally.

Jack and I were inspecting the treasures of the cave, and I must admit there were some very interesting ones. I saw a crown and some emerald jewelry I was particularly fond of. At Barbossa's comment; however, Jack made his way back to where the other pirates were standing with Will.

'This must be the opportune moment,' I thought, and drifted inconspicuously over as well.

"For instance, I thought you would come back all heroic and brave-like to rescue the lad here for his bonny lass. But then again, I never would've thought you'd strike up a friendship with this strumpet either."

I gritted my teeth to keep from attacking the elder pirate, but Jack took it all in stride and replied easily, "Me? I'm dishonest. And a dishonest man you can always trust to be dishonest. Honestly. It's the honest ones you want to watch out for, because you can never predict when they're going to do something incrediblyÉ. stupid." Quickly, he unsheathed the sword of the pirate he was standing behind, and tossed it to Will, and unsheathed his own sword and lunged at Barbossa.

I drew my own sword, and together Will and I charged at what was left of Barbossa's crew. There were three of them, and I knew that they would be no match for us, except for the fact that they could not die.

"I'll take two of them, and you can have the smaller one." I taunted Will as I fought off the pirate with long beard carrying the bombs.

"We'll each take one, and then share the last one," Will corrected me, and threw himself into the fight.

Focusing on my pirate, I blocked a clumsy attack, and launched a furious counterattack. My main purpose was to keep the scallywag's attention off of Jack and Barbossa. I was so engaged in the fight that I didn't notice Will's predicament until too late.

"I'm gonna teach you the meaning of pain," he threatened, clearly having Will cornered. I sent my opponents blade skittering across the floor in time to see Elizabeth carrying a large staff.

"Do you like pain?" she snarled, and whipped the pirate in the head, knocking him unconscious. "Try wearing a corset."

Grinning, I returned my attention to my opponent and attacked with renewed gusto.

"Who's side is Jack on anyway?" I heard Elizabeth ask, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Jack as a skeleton, and it made my mind freeze. I didn't hear Will's reply because my break in concentration caused the blade to be knocked from my hand, and another to be pressed to my throat. My attacker leered unpleasantly, and I would've spit in his face of it wasn't for the cutlass pricking my throat.

"Well, aren't you a feisty- AH!" Elizabeth and Will ran the staff through him, and his blade clattered to the floor. Sighing in relief, I picked up my own sword, and nodded in thanks. The three pirates were now pinned together, and Elizabeth and Will shoved a grenade into one, and pushed them out of the moonlight.

"No fair," the pirate who'd almost killed me whimpered, and they exploded into a pile of bones.

Will raced up to where the chest was, and Elizabeth and I watched in amazement the epic battle going on between Jack and Barbossa. It was very creepy to see two skeletons fighting and jeering at each other. Jack slashed his palm with his blade, let the blood drip onto the medallion, and tossed the bloody coin up to Will. At the same time Barbossa aimed his pistol at me, who happened to be standing in front of Elizabeth. I didn't dare to breathe, and it seemed like a stalemate until Jack pulled the trigger of his own pistol, a bullet embedding itself in Barbossa's chest.

Barbossa looked mildly amused at the situation. "Ten years you carry that pistol, and now you waste your shot," he chuckled. "But I'm still going to kill yer bonny lass."

"He didn't waste it," Will said, and dropped both his and Jack's medallions in the chest, revealing his palm to be cut as well.

Barbossa's sword clattered to the ground, and he opened his shirt. Sure enough, where the bullet had struck him, blood poured from the wound. "I feel...cold," he gasped, and fell to the ground dead, an apple rolling out of his hand. The curse was lifted, and we all exchanged a relieved look.

"Well, now that that's over, I think I'll be inspecting this swag," I announced abruptly, swaggering over to the pile containing the crown and jewelry I fancied.

"You already did that," Will reminded, a slight smile gracing his lips.

Jack joined me, and the two of us rifled through the loot, stuffing our pockets with whatever caught our interest. After a time, Elizabeth was ready to go. "We should return to the _Dauntless_," she said quietly.

Looking over at them, I saw Will's face darken. "Your fiance will be wanting to know you're safe," he told Elizabeth harshly. She turned away in obvious hurt, and walked quickly towards the cave's mouth.

Jack and I made to follow her. "Smooth lad, real smooth," I said in ridicule. "You sure know the way to a woman's heart." I pushed passed him.

"If you were waiting for the opportune moment....that was it. Now, if you'll be so kind, I'd be much obliged if you'd drop me off at my ship," Jack said.

"He meant to say the two of us," I called over my shoulder. "But he always forgets."

"That's what she thinks," Jack whispered.

"I heard that!" I yelled.

The four of us climbed into one of the boats. I scanned the horizon for the _Black Pearl_, but she was nowhere in sight. Jack apparently saw the same thing, and his light mood disappeared and was replaced with disappointment.

"I'm sorry Jack," Elizabeth said gently.

"They done what's right by them. Can't expect more than that," he admitted softly, trying to keep the discouragement out of his voice, but I could sense it.

I rested my hand on his arm. "We'll figure a way out of this one. We've been through worse already."

I met Jack's amazed brown eyes. He seemed shocked and pleased by the tender gesture. Regaining his voice, he nodded. "Aye, love. We've been through much worse."

TBC

~*~*~

A/N: Whew! That was a long one! And it took me three hours straight to write out! I think my butt has gone numb.

Rachel: We did not need to know that.

Jack: Aye. TOO much information.

Me: *laughs* Ok, sorry. Anyway, only two to three more chapters left, but it'll most likely be two. I still haven't heard the consensus on a sequel. Please tell me if you want one or not in a **review**. And now on to the review responses!

**turtlecrazy53**- YAY! A new reviewer! Thanks for the lovely review! It made me happy!

**DeppStruck**- *laughs* WOOT isn't an acronym. It's exactly what it sounds like. That's my way of cheering. It's the equivalent to yay! Anyway, thanks for the review. And I absolutely love your parody!

**Anime-and-Toons**- Thanks for the review!

**Jessi Lupin**- NOOO! You can't put off Marauderland! It's too good! I hope you improve your grades though. Bad grades are bad. (That was kind of redundant wasn't it?) ^_^

**chibichibi386**- Thanks for reviewing! You make me feel so loved!

And that's all folks! **PLEASE REVIEW!** I want to break 100 before the story is complete. All I need is 7, but I'll take more. ^_^ Ta luvs!

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~


	17. A Dramatic Escape

**Disclaimer:** Nope. I don't own Pirates of the Caribbean, but I do have the Sexiest Man Alive issue of People Magazine that I stole from a restaurant. *shifty eyes* They wouldn't care though. It's like four month old issue. Damn... Johnny is **so** fine!

~*~*~

The sun was rising when we arrived back at Port Royal, its merry face warming those under it. All, that is, except for Jack and me. I was pissed about the whole situation, and Jack looked as if he'd lost a best friend. It was I look a knew quite well. It's the look of one that has lost something dear to him. In this case, the _Pearl_ was the object of affection.

We once again found ourselves shoved into the fortress jail. "Well, this looks familiar," Jack grumbled, and stared vacantly out the window. I grunted in response, and together we watched the sun rise in stony silence.

"Ye know, it's ironic that the place we met for the first time would also be the place where we say farewell," Jack commented, no trace of humor in his voice.

"Aye, 'tis," I drawled listlessly. The sun was almost high in the sky now, and the hanging, Norrington had told us, was scheduled for noon. "I wonder how many people will come to watch the hanging of the infamous Captains Sparrow and Harris?" I wondered aloud.

"Who knows, love, who knows."

The next couple of hours stretched by pretty much uneventfully, and next thing we knew we were being paraded out to the platform. Hoards of people massed about, all wanting to watch the hanging of the big, bad pirates.

"Morbid group of people," Jack slurred nonchalantly, inspecting his surroundings.

"Aye. It must be a favorite Sunday afternoon past time," I said sarcastically. The guard behind me gave me a sharp prod in the back.

"Quiet, you," he snapped, trying to look authoritative.

"Shut up before I beat your arse," I growled, reaching instinctively for the cutlass that wasn't there.

The guard sneered, and rolled his eyes. "And how do you suppose that you'll do that?" he asked.

"Oh, she'll figure out a way," Jack said casually, and continued with the previously interrupted conversation. "I figure that if you've got nothing else to do but watch a hanging, then yer one sorry son of a bitch." Jack grinned, flashing his gold teeth. "Now, take me for example. My life is far from what they consider perfect, but ye don't see me standing around watching me mates being hanged." He tried using his hands for dramatic effect, but quickly abandoned that attempt seeing as how they were bound together.

"Nay. You'd be out getting drunk," I laughed.

Jack smirked. "That be true. Now, where is that boy?" he asked, referring to Will. "I figured he'd have some elaborate escaped all planned out."

"He's not capable of thinking that far ahead," I deadpanned. Jack was about to add to this, but was cut off by our arrival at the gallows platform. Until now, I'd viewed this whole scenario as mildly entertaining, but now anxiety came crashing down like a crate full of cannon balls. I found myself barely able to breathe as I stood staring at the noose in front of me.

"It's a shame to lose such a pretty one," the executioner rasped from behind his dark veil. I shivered, and glared icily at him. I knew he was leering behind that dark mask, and I was itching to knock that sneer right off of his face. Clearly Jack saw this.

"Control yerself darling. It's not worth it just to get revenge on the likes of him."

And so the two of us stood in front of a mass of people, waiting for either death or rescue; the former we didn't deserve, but the latter was looking bleak. Sighing, I awaited the inevitable, but continued to scan the crowds for even the slightest hint of escape.

"Jack Sparrow , be it known that you have-" an official began. I was jolted back to grim reality, and glanced over at Jack.

"It's Captain, Captain Jack Sparrow," he grumbled uselessly. 'Still the same ol' Jack' I thought.

"-for your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature, the most egregious of these to be cited herewith - piracy, smuggling-" The official continued to drone.

I resumed my crowd-scanning, only half-listening to what the announcer was saying, and my eyes fell on Elizabeth. She was standing with her father and the Commodore. Will was nowhere in sight. 'Poor lad,' I thought, feeling slightly sorry for him. I saw Elizabeth say something, and her father answered her. 'Probably talking about what type of scones will be served at tea,' I thought bitterly.

"-impersonating an officer of the Spanish Royal Navy, impersonating a cleric of the Church of England-"

My eyes snapped back to Jack, who was grinning crookedly. "Ah yes," he muttered, and looked over at the executioner, who returned it with a glare.

"You'll have to tell me about that sometime," I said lightly.

"Aye, love, maybe I will."

"-sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness. And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead." The official finished, and pulled out another scroll, containing what I thought to be my crimes.

"Rachel Harris, be it known that you have...." He began.

"At least he didn't say 'Miss Harris'," I sighed.

"....for your willful commission of crimes against the crown. Said crimes being numerous in quantity and sinister in nature, the most egregious of these to be cited herewith - piracy, smuggling, sailing under false colors, arson, kidnapping, looting, poaching, brigandage, pilfering, depravity, depredation, and general lawlessness. And for these crimes you have been sentenced to be, on this day, hung by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on both your souls."

As the nooses were put around our necks, I saw Will pushing through the crowd. He seemed to be coming from where Elizabeth was, and looking up, I saw her pass out.

And then I realized.

Will was shoving through frantically now. "Move!" he yelled, and jostled through the front row of onlookers.

I heard the lever being pulled, and realized he was too late. I squeezed me eyes shut and braced myself. But nothing happened. I opened them, and blinked stupidly. I saw Jack standing on a sword embedded in the wood where the swinging door should be. He looked slightly alarmed until Will cut him down.

"Um, a little help here!" I called to Jack, who jumped back up onto the platform, and cut the noose. "Thanks, mate," I said gratefully.

"Nothing to it," he answered casually, and we leapt off and joined Will at the base. 

The three of us barreled through the panicked onlookers, fighting off Norrington's men the whole way. Unfortunately, we weren't paying attention to where we were going, because we found ourselves in one of the towers, completely surrounded by soldiers.

"Oh my Christ," I swore, glaring angrily at the bayonets pointed in our direction.

"I second that," Jack put in, although he looked slightly amused.

Norrington sauntered up, looking like a mixture between upset and pleased with himself. "I thought we might have to endure some manner of ill-conceived escape attempt but not from you," he said to Will.

"On our return to Port Royal , I granted you clemency. And this is how you thank me? By throwing in your lot with them? They're pirates!" The Governor exclaimed in disbelief.

"He's a good man," Will stated. I sniffed haughtily, and elbowed Will in the ribs. "She's just along for the ride," he added.

"I'm gonna murder you the next time I get a chance," I hissed in his ear.

"If all I have achieved here is that the hangman will earn three pairs of boots instead of two, so be it. At least my conscience will be clear."

"You forget your place, Turner," Norrington growled.

"It's right hereÉ between you and Jack." After a time he added," And Rachel."

"Ye know Will, that was very touching," I snipped irritably.

Elizabeth came to stand next to Will. "As is mine."

"Elizabeth!" her father gasped. "Lower your weapons. For goodness' sake put them down!" he ordered, and the guns were lowered reluctantly.

Norrington looked crushed. "So this is where your heart truly lies, then?" he asked sadly.

"It is," Elizabeth replied softly.

I glanced over at Jack, and saw his face light up. "Well! I'm actually feeling rather good about this," he remarked cheerfully. 'I wonder what's made him so happy,' I thought suspiciously. Looking up, I noticed a very familiar looking parrot, and I also felt a rush of relief.

"As am I," I added, giving Norrington a cheeky grin.

"I think we've all arrived at a very special place, eh? Spiritually, Ecumenically, Grammatically?" He asked the Governor. Then he turned to Norrington. "I want you to know that I was rooting for you, mate. Know that. ElizabethÉ it would never have worked between us, darling. I'm sorry."

"Damn right it wouldn't have," I muttered under my breath, still sore about the whole island incidence.

At last, Jack turned to Will. "Will... nice hat," he teased, and Will, who had obviously been expecting something more endearing, raised a quizzical eyebrow. Jack began to back slowly toward the wall of the battlement, and I gravitated with him. "Friends! This is the day that you-" He backed into the wall, and losing his foothold, fell over it.

"What he meant to say was, 'This is the day that you almost caught Captain Jack Sparrow'," I finished for him. "But he's a klutz. Now, Norry darling, I must be going. I'm sorry I ruined my execution. I'm sure it took ages to plan. It was blast while it lasted though. Will, you really must tell me sometime how you rigged that trap door, though, I hope I don't see you again. Elizabeth, best of luck with not killing dear William. I know I would," I finished. Elizabeth smiled at me. "And now, I'll just be leaving. Places to go, people to see. Ta!" And I leapt off the battlement.

As I plummeted towards the water, I was thinking two things. One, I hoped I wouldn't crash into the rocks and die anyway. The other was that I knew I was free again. I'd finally come to terms with losing my ship, and now I was going to get it back with Jack Sparrow's help, although he hadn't yet agreed.

I landed in the water with a splash, narrowly missing Jack who was waiting for me. "It's about time," he said, treading water.

"You'll be happy to know, that my farewell wasn't near as dramatic as yours, but I did manage not to look like an idiot while executing it."

"I did that on purpose," Jack said defensively.

"Sure, whatever," I laughed, and we swam to the _Black Pearl_ anchored securely in the harbor.

TBC

~*~*~

A/N: One more chappie left! And the consensus seems to be that everyone wants a sequel! And so a sequel y'all shall have, but it might be a while. Don't lose hope! And I just want to say how pleased I am to have gotten over 100 reviews. I got 103! Keep up the good work mates! Goal is 120 by end of story, although that seems highly unlikely. ^_^ A cookie and a mug o' rum for all who review!

Jack: What if I review? Do I get rum?

Me: Maybe...

Jack: Yer evil.

Rachel: She likes me, don't ye?

Me: Aye.

Jack: *sighs* Women.

Rachel and Me: *smirk*

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


	18. And So Begins a New Adventure

**Disclaimer:** I don't own it! *sniffles* And now this story is finally coming to an end! *starts to bawl uncontrollably*

~*~*~

Feet firmly on the deck of the _Black Pearl_, I felt the familiar rush of excitement I got every time I stepped on board a ship. This time, however, I felt like I was finally home. As strange as it sounds, it was the truth.

I smiled encouragingly as Jack took the helm of his beloved ship. For him, life was once again complete. For me, I wasn't content. Once you've had a ship of your own, you can never return to being a common crew member. It simply doesn't feel right.

Lost in thought, I didn't hear Jack barking orders to the crew. I'm sure I looked completely out of character just staring out across the water. Feeling someone's presence behind me, I turned to see Anamaria raising an eyebrow.

"Are ye deaf?" She asked, chuckling slightly.

I smiled apologetically. "Nay. I was just thinking. What was it you wanted me to do?"

"I don't want you to anything, but a certain Captain fancies a word with you." She winked, and hurried off to help Gibbs give orders.

I looked up at Jack, the breeze whipping the braids and trinkets across his face. He looked at peace. There was no mischievous gleam to his eyes, no cocky grin. All I could see was a truly happy man whose finally achieved his ultimate dream.

'Best talk to him now,' I thought. 'While he's in a good mood.'

I took my time in meeting him, and when I arrived, the mellow look lifted, and his trademark smirk settled in its routine place.

"Havin' fun?" I asked lightly, and settled myself comfortably on the rail.

"Hello, love," he greeted convivially. "What port do ye want me to drop ya off at?"

So he remembered our conversation aboard the _Dauntless_. 'I'll just have to work around that.'

"Listen Jack, let's cut to the chase," I stated bluntly. I laughed when his eyes widened slightly.

"Well, you haven't been one to avoid the point. What is it that ye want?"

"I need yer help," I stated coolly.

He seemed somewhat surprised. "With what?" He asked skeptically.

"I want to get my ship back."

Something akin to sympathy flickered in his dark eyes, but then they resumed their teasing light. "Uh-huh. Well, Rachel love, I see no profit in it for me."

I had been expecting this answer. "I'll give you thirty percent of me plunder, once I get it back, that is. Until then, I work as part of yer crew, savvy?"

"Savvy perfectly, love. And it sounds like a deal." He extended his hand, and we shook on it.

'That went well,' I thought in relief. 'Almost too well.'

I regarded him suspiciously. "Why so agreeable all of a sudden?" I asked.

"Ye've just gotten me on a good day is all. Now, if that's all, I'm sure there's work that needs to be done. And this deck could use a good swabbin'," he replied playfully.

"Like hell I'm swabbin'," I snapped. "I'm quite comfortable right where I am."

"This is my ship, and I'm the captain, and you'll do as I say."

"That's a scary thought," I laughed, and stood up. Stretching, I started to leave, but Jack caught my arm. "What?"

"I'm glad ye decided to stay on, Rachel." His eyes betrayed nothing. He was serious.

"Aye. I am too," I answered, trying to appear unconcerned, although inside I was horribly confused.. Moments like these always made me uncomfortable, and my emotions were unreliable.

Jack grinned toothily, and went back to blissfully steering his ship, and I strode off to find a bucket and a mop.

'I'll never know what goes on in his head,' I mused, and went below to consider all of the tricks possible involving a pail of water and a mop; and quite possibly to peel a few potatoes.

THE END

~*~*~

A/N: And that's it! It's finished! And the ending sucks! Yay for crappy endings! And now I must begin work on a sequel, but it won't be posted until I get farther along in CotTT and my HP fic. It might be a while, but it shall be written!

A big thank you to all of my reviewers! They are (in order from first to most recent): San San As Herself, Rood-Rosje, Cpt-Jack-Sparrow, DaydreamBeliever14, coco bean, PED-sarah, katesparrow, Jessi Lupin, CenterefoldPirate, emeraldmedallion (Thanks for being beta although your email didn't work half the time! ^_^), PepaMynt, Vyerna Malice, I lOvE cHeRrIeS yUm, chibichibi386, BlackHearte11, Lauren, Bianca, pirate!, Lunawolf, SS/Destiny Daae, DeppStruck, Celidya, Anime-and-Toons, turtlecrazy53, Carnecoirewen, Chris, and Dragon Girl Revlis!!! I luv all y'all like mad crazy! Thanks for giving me inspiration to keep writing!

And now I shall leave. Please check out my HP story and my PotC parody, which has now broken over 100 reviews! WOOT! And please review for this chapter! I want to achieve my goal of 120+ reviews! I think y'all can do it!

Ta luvs!

Until next time,

~TheSiriusSparrow~ 


End file.
